Failsafe
by PaleGreySky
Summary: They were two sides of a coin, light and dark, gentle and violent, shy and passionate. And their love might come to an end, as the First Order comes nearer to eliminating the Resistance, and Korin must choose who she will fight for. The plan, the story, it was supposed to be failsafe. [Major TFA spoilers]
1. The Ones We Leave Behind

**This is my first attempt at a chapter fic. I'm super excited :D**

 **Also, check out Emo Kylo Ren on Twitter. You will not be dissapointed.**

 **All characters other than my OC Korin belong to the Star Wars franchise and stuff.**

 **CURRENTLY REWRITING THIS CHAPTER - NO PLOT CHANGES BUT MAINLY IDK**

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Chapter One

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Kylo Ren cut an impressive and terrifying figure as he strode through the halls of the Finalizer. His mask was a visage of blank darkness, the silver plating around his eyes glinting from the halogen lights. His hood was pulled up, and ragged cloth draped around his shoulders. Streaks of black swirled around him as he walked.

He turned the corner, and two Stormtroopers stepped aside for him, saluting. "Sir." Kylo gave a single nod, and as the troopers continued their way down the hall, he kept moving through the maze of shining black corridors towards the command center. Soon, he arrived at the bridge, something akin to a smirk on his face under the mask as he stopped to observe the men and women working at the controls. The smirk turned to a scowl as he turned and saw a ginger-haired man standing about a step behind him, also watching the workers. The slightly shorter man was clothed in a dark charcoal uniform, his hands clasped behind his back.

"General Hux." His deep-toned voice sounded almost bored, but there was an edge of annoyance. "What are you doing here?"

The man finally smirked as he looked at him. "Apart from the fact that this is my base you're currently in, Ren, I received rather…upsetting news about what you've been doing."

He narrowed his eyes, his posture stiffening a little. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

If it was possible, Hux's smirk widened. Kylo felt his own hand twitch towards the lightsaber hilt on his belt, and he gritted his teeth. Oh, how Kylo wished he could crush the glint of delight out of the man's eyes.

"An ensign has just reported to me that you've been authorizing a galactical search…on a particular woman. A woman of no consequence to the needs of the Order."

His hand found the shaft of his lightsaber on his belt, and he gripped it tightly, before speaking, his voice darker. "This is no business of yours, General. She is strong in the Force, and she has been trained before. She will be of use to the First Order; to Supreme Leader Snoke."

The two alpha males stared each other down for a moment. Many of the ensigns went silent, sitting stock-still in their seats as they waited for the inevitable sound of a lightsaber igniting and cleaving through metal. Then, General Hux stepped back, raising his hands in a gesture of peace, though amusement shone in his ice-blue eyes. His tone was mocking when he spoke.

"If that's what you say so, Lord Ren." He turned and snapped, "Get back to work!" As he walked away, he continued, "And if she is of no use to us, if she resists…I will see to it that she is disposed of…accordingly. I hope for your sake that this is not going to be a…problem, _Kylo_."

The Force-user snapped his head up at the disrespectful tone in Hux's voice. Suddenly, Hux was lifted into the air by an invisible force, his feet dangling below him. He gasped, unable to breathe, and his hands went for his throat. Kylo turned back to look at this…puppet, and tilted his head to the side, observing as Hux's face reddened. Still, the man continued to glare at him, unbowed. None of the officers dared to speak as they stared intently ahead at their screens, unwilling to anger the Force-user any more.

The voice that issued from the mask was horribly low and dark, filled with viciousness. "And I will see to it that you learn to treat those who are better than you, more powerful than you, with more respect."

He held on for a moment longer, enjoying the slight terror that began to bleed into Hux's expression, before he dropped the man on the ground. _Filth._ He walked up the steps and towards Hux, still wheezing, on the ground. For a moment, he silently looked down at the man as he slowly stood up again, struggling to maintain his composure, and then Kylo turned and walked away.

Kylo found himself, moments later, back in his quarters on base. His breathing had steadied, his rage diminishing to dull warmth in his chest. He stood next to the pane of transparisteel, staring out the viewport, the light of the sun and the dashes of glittering stars reflecting off of the silver streaks on his mask. He raised his gloved hands, carefully unlocking his helmet and pulling it off. He brushed the locks of dark hair out of his eyes as he continued to look outside.

 _Don't forget me, Ben Solo._

"How could I ever forget you, Korin?" he spoke aloud to the quiet of the room, feeling so lonely, so intensely empty for a brief second. Kylo closed his eyes, then, and heard the familiar silvery laughter echo in his mind. The warmth in his chest escalated into aching, and he felt the familiar wretched sorrow fill him.

Kylo found the hidden pocket stitched onto the sleeve of his robe, and quietly pulled the silvery object from inside. It was a tiny star, rather crudely made, with roughened edges and various scrapes on both sides. The silver was tarnished. The chain had long been lost, broken off when she had pulled it from her neck.

The small pendant grew warm from his touch, and he smiled at the memory of it. Of her. She had worn the same necklace every day that he had known her. He closed his fist around it, uncaring of the pain as the points dug against his gloved hands, and something heated surged through him.

"By the gods, Korin, I swear I will find you."


	2. Beasts in the Night

**Again, none of these characters except for my OC belong to me. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

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Chapter 2

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He woke to the sound of screaming.

Terror surged through his body as Ben twisted, flailing briefly, tangled in his bedsheets, before he tumbled off the side of the mattress and hit the ground. He swore loudly, and climbed to his feet.

It must have been almost morning, because he could see the faint rays of light streaming from under the door. A slight chill crept up his back, and he turned to see that the window on the ceiling was open. He raised his arm, and slowly force-pulled it shut, before darting out of his room and into the hallway.

A muffled whimper came from the next door, and he turned, opening the door and stepping inside. Korin laid on the sheets, her skin glistening with sweat, her brow furrowed, as if in pain. Groans and cries were escaping her, and he moved to the side of her bed, pulling her up from the pillow.

"Korin! Hey, hey, hey," he soothed, gently shaking her. Her eyes flashed open, and for the briefest of moments, her gaze was clouded in fear, in abject terror as she stared at him. And then she took a deep, gasping breath, and began sobbing, clutching at his shoulders.

"Shhhh, Rin…Shh," Ben murmured softly, his fingers skimming down her back. "It was just a dream. It wasn't real. Just a dream."

"No…I felt it. It was…It was real." Her brow furrowed, as she tried to recall what had happened. He pulled her closer, worried as he observed the strange look in her brown eyes.

She had grown quiet by then, her sobs diminishing to hiccups and occasional sniffs. "I think...I saw a man. He knew the Force. It was so strong. So…dark."

Ben felt a chill race down his spine. Would there be another Sith lord while they lived?

Her voice was hesitant as she spoke, as though she was afraid that saying it out loud would bring the man to life. "And he – He turned around. And he looked…at me." The horror seemed to return to her, for her eyes were wide as she stared aimlessly at the blank stone walls. "He raised his arm…and he told me… _to come home._ He said that he would find me-"

She sniffed again, and buried her face against his shoulder. She was shaking, and he wrapped his arms tighter around her.

"I'm so scared, Ben. I've never met anyone more powerful, more dangerous than he was."

There was a moment of silence. Then, he said, gently, "You know I would never let anyone hurt you. Korin, I would…I would die before I let anyone hurt you."

"You know I'm not weak, Ben. I just…" She shifted, hugging her knees as she looked out the window. "I wish that I had more control. The Force, sometimes it seems too big for me to understand. And too vast for me to use."

"Then I'll teach you," Ben said confidently. "I know you, Rin. I know that you can be stronger. I'll ask Master Skywalker if he'll let me train with you, and teach you the ways of the Force." He leaned in closer, and she gave a soft gasp as his nose brushed against hers, and then he tilted his head to the side and kissed her. He felt her lips curve up shyly against his, and he smiled, too, at the memory of when he had first confessed how he felt of her.

She was still so skittish and soft, and the thought of her made something warm settle in his chest. The idea that he could…have her, that he could belong to her; it was more than he could imagine. Being the son of infamous smuggler Han Solo and General Leia of the Resistance meant growing up alone, shadowed by his parents' glory and always being alone. And now it felt amazing to know that Korin trusted him; that she believed in him and would stay with him.

He pulled back, and then said, fiercely, "I love you, Korin. Nothing will change that. And I promise I'll always protect you."

A watery laugh escaped her, and she hurriedly wiped at her eyes. "I love you too, Ben. But I knew, from the moment I saw you, that you were destined for greatness. You have more to this life that just protecting me."

"Then I will follow my path _with_ you."

Korin said no more after that, and after a while when he turned to look at her, he realized that she had fallen asleep again, her face tucked against his chest. He carefully shifted her, positioning her body back against the pillows and pulling up the sheets to cover her. She made a soft noise when he kissed her forehead, and he smiled softly as he left her room.

Master Skywalker was waiting for him down the hallway.

"Ben." There was something akin to disappointment in his voice, and he nearly flinched.

"Yes, Master?"

"What were you doing in Korin's room?" Ben had the feeling that Master Skywalker already knew, and he narrowed his eyes at the older man.

"She had a nightmare. It was nothing."

There was a tense minute in which Master and Padawan stared each other down. And then Skywalker turned around, gesturing in front of him "Come. Let us walk outside."

Ben paused, before following Master Skywalker out the main door. The sun laid low on the horizon, casting a pale yellowish-pink glow on their surroundings. The cold air burned in his lungs as he took a deep breath.

"Master, let me explain-"

"Have I ever told you the story of my father? Of your grandfather?"

The young man turned to look at Skywalker. "No, Master. Are you speaking of Anakin Skywalker?"

A flash of something crossed Luke's face. "Yes. Do you know why Jedi aren't allowed to love, to marry?"

Ben gritted his teeth. "Enlighten me, Master."

"My father…when he was training to be a Jedi, he had a wife, named Padme. They loved each other more than anything, and for a long while he kept her hidden. And when she became pregnant with his children, with your mother and I, he felt as though great harm would come to her. He feared for her safety. And so he turned to the Dark Side to find help for her. And in doing so…he was the one that killed her."

Startlingly blue eyes stared at Ben. "Anakin had been the chosen one, destined to bring balance to the Force; to Dark and Light. And he had failed despite his best efforts, because of love." He paused, sadness flitting over his worn features. "You must learn to control yourself. Jedi cannot let their emotions change their actions, their destiny. And I know that you have power in you, perhaps more than any other Padawan in this Academy. This is more than yourself, more than a petty attraction. You are already set on the path for greatness. You must let her go."

Ben scoffed. "Korin told me the same."

"She is a smart girl. Well-attuned to the Force."

His voice took on a pleading edge. "Master, if you have truly seen me, if you know how I feel, you will know that I can't leave her. She is my only friend."

"Then if you cannot change for yourself, I will have to decide for you." With that, Master Skywalker turned and re-entered the building.


	3. Flaws in your ghost

**Thanks for all your support! I was amazed at how many favorites and follows this fic has gotten.**

 **Again, none of these characters, except for Korin, belong to me.**

THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN REWRITTEN A KIND OF BIG PLOT POINT ADDED

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Chapter 3

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A tarnished, thick silver coin fell onto a worn counter.

"One loaf of bread and one portion of smoked meat."

The trader raised his bushy eyebrows at the young woman. She sighed, dug deeper in her bag, and plucked out two smaller, bronze-colored coins, placing those on the counter next to the silver coin. The thin, bony creature turned and pulled, from the oven, one loaf of steaming dark bread, and then a small paper-and-string wrapped package hanging from the ceiling. He dropped the bread and the meat on the counter and swiped the coins off, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Next!"

Korin grabbed the food, taking a bite into the grainy bread as she turned and stepped out from under the shade of the stall. She brushed her hair to the side, frowning as she inspected the tips. Her hair was beginning to turn bleached from the sun exposure.

The general had sent her away from D'qar to hide from him, fearing that if he were to find her she wouldn't be strong enough to escape. After almost two and a half years at the city of Bethol on planet Korvaii, Korin had settled in. It was peaceful here, near the vast expanse of the Karlegaan forest. A narrower strip ran through the forest to the edge of a chasm, and in the distance tall mountains rose up to meet the skies.

As she left the heart of town and began walking into the forest, Korin squinted, making out, in the distance, a female standing at the base of a tall tree. She moved her gaze up, looking at her home suspended in the branches of said tree, and then back down again, recognizing the person.

As she neared, finishing her meal, the woman turned to her, a smile appearing on her face as she strode forward. "Korin, I have wonderful news!"

She smiled. "What is it, Gea?"

"I am pregnant with Dekadan's child! The gods have truly blessed us today!"

Gea and Dekadan truly deserved to have the best in the world; the two of them had escaped the clutches of the First Order a few years ago as the Order tried to eliminate their species. Both of their families had been killed, and they had arrived at Korvaii as refugees. When Korin had first come to the planet, they had treated her kindly, offering her help in settling in and bringing her supplies.

She embraced Gea. "How long until the little one is born?"

"With my kind, about a month or two. Oh, Korin, never before have I been so happy! I shall tell the others at once!" Gea hugged her again, and quickly ran back into town

Korin smiled faintly, watching her friend disappear behind the stone arches. She turned back to the tree, for a moment relishing the coolness of a breeze flowing between the branches. She opened her eyes and darted upwards, scaling the bark before swinging open the hatch at the bottom of her dwelling and slipping in. The hatch locked automatically behind her.

The pod was small but seemingly spacious. It was secured tightly by numerous durasteel cables to the surrounding trees, preventing most movement caused by the wind. The floor was flat, but the walls and ceiling were rounded. There was a bed at the back of the pod, attached to the ceiling, and a small desk underneath that held a touchscreen pad, a few sheets of worn flimsi, and a pen.

There was a tall shelf on the other side of the pod, and it was mostly empty, save for a few aged and dusty books and a small metal box. Her clothes were tucked into the drawer of the shelf.

The ray of sunlight from the open windows caused the box to flare bright silver in the corner of her eye, and Korin stared at it for a moment, feeling an overwhelming flood of…quietness settle inside of her. She walked over to the box and picked it up. Something metallic inside it clanged loudly as it rolled to one side. Sadness seeped into her again and she blinked hard, turning to stare out the window and struggling not to cry.

She was jarred from her thoughts as a series of quiet beeps came from the pad, and she quickly ran over to the desk and placed the box next to her. Korin tapped lightly on the screen to open the notification.

 _We need you back at base. A pilot will be here in twelve days to retrieve you._

The message was unsigned, but Korin knew where it had come from. The Resistance. It felt like something out of a story now, something unreal. She hadn't seen it for so long, had only been witness to the terror and the power of the First Order. The power of the new Sith lord, Kylo Ren.

Her hands clenched to fists at her sides, anger swelling fast within her. Kylo Ren. A name always in the back of her mind for what he'd done to her. He'd taken the one thing she cared about, the one person that she had waited for. Ren was a wicked, cruel man that hid behind dark cloth and a black mask. He had no right, no justification for his deeds, for how much hurt he has caused throughout the galaxy. He and his Knights of Ren deserved the death of a rabid dog – shot and burned to rid the world of his evil.

She would return to the Resistance, and maybe… maybe she'd be allowed to face the infamous Master of the Knights of Ren.

Her lightsaber lay inside the box, and she picked it up, putting the box back down on the table. It was cold in her hands, just as heavy as she had remembered. A feeling of familiarity filled her as she held the hilt, stared at the curved edges of dark durasteel and bright chrome. Her thumb found the switch and she hesitantly pressed it.

A shaft of brilliant white light burst out from the top of the hilt. Slowly, a smile appeared on Korin's face as the warm glow reflected in her eyes. Her smile fell, though, and she extinguished the lightsaber blade when she remembered. Remembered that she had not finished her Jedi training.

Remembered that Ben was dead, no matter how much she wished it wasn't true. Remembered that she wasn't there to save him from Ren.

 _"Korin... A massacre… occurred at the Jedi Academy on Takodana."_

 _"What?"_

 _"All the padawan were killed. My son...Ben was killed, too."_

 _"Who was it? Where was Master Skywalker?"_

 _"We don't know who it was. But there are rumors, of a Sith lord…named Kylo Ren. Luke was able to defend himself, though he had not arrived quickly enough to save the lives of the children. And now I fear that he has run away."_

Her breath whooshed out of her as she tried to control her breathing. Being an uncontrolled Force-sensitive had always been the worst part of her, and as memories she tried never to think of flooded back into her mind, her head began to pound. She never should have left. Maybe then she wouldn't have had to look back.

Unbidden, her lightsaber ignited again, and she swung it in a wide arc, slicing off the back of the chair and sending it careening onto the wall. The pod shook, and Korin fell to her knees, fists clenched as tears ran down her cheeks.

 _I miss you, Ben._

She wondered if it would have been better to have stayed – to have died with him. Because she hated the nightmares, hated imagining how he had been killed. Ten, fifty, a hundred ways that manifested behind her eyelids at night, each one more heart-rending or gruesome than the previous. Each one just as solid as the sound of crackling fire and the smell of searing flesh, and she had had to burn enough of her companions that month that she couldn't decide whether it had been for the best that there was no body of his for her to mourn over.

Every time she thought of Kylo Ren, every time she imagined destroying him not just to bring peace to the world but to have vengeance for Ben's death, she felt sickened at the strange notions in her mind. Both the darkness and rage coiling around her and also the other one. It was indescribable and the sensation felt bigger than herself. Not the same as peace; something far from hope.

Only when she looked into the night sky was it tangible to her again. The aching loss – the aching _lost_ , of seeing that silent loneliness in the glittering, overarching firmament and yet at the same time the strange companionship of seeing a familiar face in a crowd and quietly waiting for them to turn around.

She didn't understand where the feeling came from; she couldn't possibly wait for a dead person to come back.

Though through it all, Korin would never admit it, but she was afraid of how often she dreamed of Kylo Ren. Night terrors would be a better word for what she experienced. Standing in an empty, wide space, feeling the dust swirl around her body, lifting wisps of her hair. The raw fear when he turned around and looked at her. He would reach for her; always he would reach for her. And then the dream would end, and her eyes would slowly open, light from Korvaii's twin moons shining on her.

After a long while, she stood. Wiping at her face, Korin walked over to the door and popped open the hatch again, carefully lowering herself and dropping down to meet the forest floor. She rolled onto her back, staring up at the blue sky, feeling her breathing slow as she tried to gather her thoughts, tried to think rationally and unemotionally like she'd been trained to do.

There was only one direction; fight forward. Because it was the same story, the same fight each time. And, kriffing hell, she wasn't going to give up on the Resistance.

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 **I think the next chapter is gonna take a bit longer, but hopefully it will be more exciting than this one (if this seemed boring). Thanks for reading :D.** **Also I'm planning on giving Gea some importance later, if you guys are wondering about the sudden character intro.**

 **And even more also, I was doing a bit of research on Korin's lightsaber color (it was muy dificil :|) and I found out that long before all dis stuff, there were Force-users called Imperial Knights who all owned pure white lightsabers, and were loyal to the Emperor of Fel Empire, but also to the Force. They rejected the Dark side, but weren't exactly part of the Light either. Instead Imperial Knights did what they were ordered and kind of what they believed was right by the Force, which I thought was pretty cool.**

 **So I'll probably use that at some point.**


	4. Honey, you can't hide

**Hi guys, I'm back with another chapter on the awkward tales of Kylo and Korin. This chapter is kind of sad towards the end, but I guess that's just Kylo for you :|. I also changed some minor stuff in chapter 3 that was bothering me with continuity and stuff**

 **To SecretReader101: I'm kind of working on some parallelism between the two, though I'm not quite sure yet if I'll go with that in the end.**

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Chapter 4

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His eyes were closed behind the mask, his hood drawn up as he sat, legs crossed, on the soft mats in his personal training room. His gloved hands rested, palms facing up, on his knees. He breathed in and out, seeking the ever-elusive calm to fill him. The tarnished silver lightsaber levitated a foot off the ground in front of him, completely still.

Someone knocked on the door. Eyes still closed, he heard the entrance slide open with a hiss moments later.

"Sir."

His concentration broken, Kylo Ren moved his hand forward just in time to catch his lightsaber before it fell to the ground.

"What is it?" The voice that issued from the mask was both silky and rough, and undeniably annoyed.

The officer gulped and straightened, aware that if he didn't have a good enough reason, he would be punished for his interruption. "Sir, the map was located in Tuanul on Jakku, in the hands of a village elder." A pause. "We've also found signs that the female was sighted on a planet in the Korvaii system in mid-rim Kordu."

His eyes finally opened.

The strange, warm emotion that now filled him seemed foreign, strange and too bright. The thought of seeing her again, of knowing that she'd be safe with him, was more than he ever could have asked for. But-no. He couldn't be so hasty, so impatient. They still had to get to her and bring her back to the base, hopefully without any injury. He doubted she would be strong enough to resist his power. She had never gained full control of the Force…but under his guidance, he could train her to be invincible. To follow him.

"How long will it take to find the planet and locate her coordinates?"

"A day, sir."

Kylo paused, and turned to look at the man. "Prepare the command shuttle and a score of troops to accompany me to Jakku. We leave in one hour."

The officer nodded. "Yes, sir."

"You are excused."

* * *

The arc of the glowing blade swung higher, cutting off two gigantic branches. Korin ducked to the side as they crashed onto the ground. She continued swinging the saber, dodging invisible enemies and slicing up unseen foes. She felt alive again. Useful. Like she could actually fight. Through the week and a half that had past, most of her training was coming back to her.

 _Concentrate, young Padawan._

She swore as the blade dipped and cut deeply into the trunk of a tree when she swung too hard. Using lightsabers was often underestimated by non-Jedi; because it wasn't like any kind of battlesword, with a full-length blade, it was extremely, dangerously light, meaning that it was quite easy to swing, and more easy to make mistakes with. But she was doing a lot better. The young woman straightened, wiping the sweat off of her forehead and cheeks as she extinguished the blade.

Tomorrow would be the twelfth day. The day that a pilot from the resistance would come pick her up. As she trudged back to her pod, panting in exertion, she tried to imagine what would happen. This had to be the beginning of a rebellion against the First Order. Things were changing, at last.

Suddenly, from a distance, she heard the sound of a fighter jet coming towards Bathol. She turned, squinting through the trees and spotting an X-wing flying past the far mountains, headed for where she stood in the forest.

"What the…"

The jet reached her, slowing and hovering several hundred feet above the cliff edge of the forest. It began its descent, landing meters away from the ledge. With a soft whoosh, the engines turned off, and the plane became still. The cockpit opened, and a woman stepped out, clad in the orange-and-white uniform of the Resistance fighters. She raised a hand towards Korin, and started running towards her.

"Miss Jacondir, I am X-wing pilot Jessika Pava from the Resistance." She held out her hand, and Korin hesitantly shook it.

"What has happened? Why did you come early?"

"We received word from hidden intel that Kylo Ren would be arriving tomorrow to search for you. We must leave immediately; he may soon put this area under surveillance. Can you pack?"

"Yes. Give me ten minutes, and then we can leave."

Pava nodded, and Korin sprinted back through the forest.

Unbeknownst to the two, Gea had seen their conversation, had seen Korin practicing. She was behind the bushes far away, having heard the sounds of the lightsaber while foraging for mushrooms and berries. She couldn't believe what she was witnessing. And yet somehow at the same time, it was unsurprising. Korin never seemed to quite fit with a complacent and quiet life. There was always something deeper, more important in her gaze.

And if the Sith lord was to come to Bathol…she couldn't let him know where Korin escaped to.

* * *

He arrived the next day. It was only midday, and the sun shone gold down on the landscape, painting an idyllic picture of sandstone and blue sky.

A young girl shouted, pointing at the clouds as a ship materialized from the white, growing larger and larger as it came closer to the small town. Her mother shushed her, before looking up. A gasp escaped her.

"It's the First Order," she whispered.

The ship landed in the cobblestoned center of the town, its wings rising to its sides. There was a click and a hiss, before the front of the ship came down to form a ramp as Stormtrooper after Stormtrooper rushed out, blasters raised. Screams and yells of fear and confusion filled the air as they infiltrated the buildings, quickly searching the entire town and amassing the entire population in the city square.

At least a thousand and five hundred people now stood in the town square, talking and muttering, casting fearful glances to the Stormtroopers that circled them. Some of the young ones were crying, unknowing of what was going on. The sun rose higher in the sky.

There was a sharp buzz, and everyone turned to look as the Sith lord ignited his lightsaber. The crowd rushed back in panic, forming a small circle around Ren as he stood, the blade crackling and burning with energy.

"There is one among you who knows the Force."

A hum of whispering.

Kylo turned, staring into the eyes of the frightened men and women. "Where is she?"

Gea stood among the people, half-kneeling and terrified as she gripped a string of worn player beads and whispered in her mother tongue. Her clawed hand was held over her swollen belly, and she shook her head, a muttered "no" escaping her. After a moment of silence, she slowly looked up, and gasped as Kylo turned, empty eyes staring into hers.

"You."

"No!" Dekanden lunged forward, roaring as Kylo pulled Gea towards him with the Force. Five troopers pushed through the townspeople and surrounded him, holding him back and pushing him onto the ground.

He dragged the female onto the stones before him, and stared down at her as she choked on the dust.

"I see it in your eyes. Tell me where she is."

Gea looked up, her eyes filled with a conflicting mixture of terror and hate. "Never."

She cried out in surprise as she was roughly hauled up by the Sith lord, before she was lifted into the air. He held his hand out, pushing into her mind. A horrified moan escaped her as her eyes went wide, a solid, burning pain filling her mind.

" _Hello?"_

 _Gea turned, seeing a young woman standing a few feet away from the entrance of her home, looking shy and a little unsure of herself. She waved her over. A gentle smile appeared on Korin's face, and she hesitantly stepped forward._

 _She stood under Korin's pod in the trees, handing supplies to her as she began screwing the panels together and adding more cables and reinforcements. Korin reached for a knot in the tree, biting her lip in concentration._

 _Gea watched the young woman practicing in the forest a day before, heard the low hum as the glowing white blade swung in an arc. Her motions were lithe and graceful, but filled with hidden anger and conviction._ _She was worried for her friend._

" _We must leave immediately; he may soon put this area under surveillance."_

 _She turned and saw the X-wing rise through the forest, and then blast off into the skies._

The villagers watched, transfixed in horror, as Kylo Ren dropped his hand and the woman fell to the ground, clutching at her pregnant stomach, pained sobs shredding from her throat. Dekanden snarled, his claws scuffing against the paved stones as he tried to break free.

"My child," she whispered, petrified, curling in on herself.

Kylo pulled out his lightsaber, ignoring the agonized woman in front of him. The day had not gone quite to plan. But now he knew where Korin was, and where the pilot Poe Dameron and FN-2187 - the traitor - would be headed. He looked back at the villagers, some crying and others angry, standing in the tense silence, and turned to the head Stormtrooper standing a little ways behind him.

"Kill them all."

Gea let out a frightened wail as, at once, the sounds of blaster shots and screams began to fill the air around them. He looked down at her, the sudden glow of his lightsaber casting his mask in a hellish scarlet light.

" _And you_."


	5. Rescue

**this chapter was kind of ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯**

 **As always, I do not own any Star Wars characters, except for my OC Korin. Enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter Five

* * *

Her visions were getting worse.

From the terrace, Ben watched her training with Master Skywalker, worried. She was unstable and much too distracted when she fought; he could see it in her eyes sometimes. The way that something, like a swaying veil of thin mist, would cloud her eyes momentarily, and she'd swerve, the heavy wooden training staff falling out of her fingers.

A weak blaster bolt from the training droid hit her again, and Korin muttered angrily under her breath, shaking her hand loose from the staff. Luke turned off the droid, and walked over to where she stood, panting. He placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Do not worry, Korin. In time you will grow stronger. You are already doing better than many of your peers."

Korin sighed, tugging habitually on the thin braid of hair she wore. "I've just been…tired, Master."

"Take some rest." Luke looked towards the Academy for a moment, and then turned back to her. "Korin, in a week's time I think I will bring you to Ilum."

She looked up, still panting, and wiped the sweat from her brow. "Really? But…no one else is ready. Am I going alone?"

"Not quite. Ben has already made his lightsaber. I will ask him to accompany us." He paused. "This will be as much of a test for him as it will be for you."

"How so?"

"You will be changed when you come back. I see great trials ahead of him. This is only the start."

* * *

It was still dark when Korin's eyes slowly opened. She stared at the ceiling for a moment, and then quietly rolled out of bed. She dressed quickly in her warmest clothes, knowing that the caves would be chilly this time of year. Finally, she clasped the necklace around her throat, and placed the tiny star-shaped good luck charm on her skin.

Ben stood on the terrace, a small transport ship docked on the side. His tall, lanky form was illuminated by the pale light of sunrise, and she felt emotion swell inside her when he turned at the sound of her footsteps and his brooding gaze softened. He held out his hand, and she grasped it, fingers intertwining with his.

"I'm scared."

"Don't be afraid." His thumb began to stroke soothingly at the back of her hand.

She shivered, and closed her eyes, breathing in the salty air. Luke appeared behind them, his hood pulled up, covering his face in shadows. Korin turned, letting go of Ben's hand and staring at the older, wiser Jedi, sudden panic gripping at her.

"It's time."

The three of them boarded the ship, and as Korin sat down on a heavy durasteel bench, drawing her knees to her chest, Luke undocked the ship and the three of them flew off. In the near-darkness, Ben could hear her soft breathing shudder a little, before she scooted closer to him and leaned against his shoulder. He smiled softly and curved an arm around her.

The ship reached light speed as it exited Takodana's atmosphere, and Korin stared at the bright streaks of stars in wonder, momentarily forgetting her worry as she pressed her fingers to the cold transparisteel.

"We're dropping out in half a minute, brace yourselves." Luke called from the cockpit. Moments later, there was a loud rushing noise and the ship reared up, slowing so suddenly it was as though they had hit a wall of molasses.

And then Ilum was in front of them in all its icy glory, shining bright in the black of space. It was pale and frosty-looking, and Korin could see streaks of onyx where mountain ridges speared upwards, and smudges of grey valleys. She had never seen anything more beautiful. More cold.

The planet grew larger and larger in the viewport until they could see the small mountain on top of the cave. She noticed a swirling whiteness in the corner of her eye, and turned, watching in wonder as a small twister of snow swept across the vast expanse of whiteness to their left. The ship slowed even further, and Luke fired the landing blasters, melting away a section of snow under them as they landed.

The back of the ship unlocked and unfolded to form a small ramp. Korin exited first, walking out into the open landscape of snow. The ice crunched under her booted feet as she walked around, turning to stare at Ilum's moon. The wind whistled eerily through the mountain peaks. It sounded like a scream.

The three of them walked across the icy planes of the valley, the mountain looming in front of them like some frozen sentinel. On the northern side of the mountain there was a gleaming glassy plane of frozen water that seemed to stretch for miles. Korin began to see the mouth of the cave, and Luke walked faster, his robes swishing behind him as they came upon the entrance.

The opening of the cave was massive. Towering hundreds of feet above them; it must have been five or six stories tall. The walls were made of gleaming ice that melted and dripped onto the cavern floor, where the ice and frost were glossy in some places and misted and cracked in others. Jagged boulders and rocks thrust upwards from the ground, some almost as tall as the cave itself.

"Take this." Luke said, startling her from her contemplations as he handed her an off white-colored bar. She shook it twice, and it began to glow brightly. Ben watched silently, an unnamable emotion in his eyes as the girl looked back at the cavern, and then to Luke again when he spoke.

"Korin, you must return through the entrance before the sun rises, or else the power of the Force within will seal the entrance with rock and ice."

She blinked, looked down for a moment, and then nodded and squared her shoulders. "I will return, Master." With that, she pulled up the hood of her cloak and began walking towards the entrance of the cave.

As the two watched Korin venture further into the icy darkness, Luke turned to look at his nephew. The young man looked almost pained, and the Jedi noticed his hands were clasped tightly behind his back. He looked back at the female Padawan. She had all but disappeared into the mouth of the cave, her shadow, cast on the wall by the light, wavering as she moved.

"Ben."

"Yes, Master?"

"I have a mission for you."

* * *

It was cold.

It was really, _really_ kriffing cold.

Korin gripped the fur lining of her coat tighter, crouching behind a tall slab of stone as another chilly draft swept by. The glowstick she held in her hands dimmed, and she shook, stepping back out and continuing down the cave.

The gleaming walls sparkled, the cavern echoing her footsteps. She wiped at her running nose and coughed; it seemed to be getting colder and colder. Her breath fogged in front of her. Korin turned, and shivered when she realized she could no longer see the mouth of the cave.

She looked forward again and began to walk a little faster, worrying about what she would have to face. The tunnel began shrinking, the walls and ceiling closing down further and further as she walked down the center. Even the sound of dripping water faded away, and all she could hear was her own breathing.

There was a flash of white light, and she jerked back, covering her eyes. The flare faded as suddenly as it had come, and she moved her hands away, staring sightlessly, blinded by the light.

A soft, choked sob.

For a moment, terrible, senseless pain and anguish filled her mind, choking her. She nearly fell to her knees at the surge of emotions. There was a figure lying on the ground a few feet in front of her. In the darkness she could barely recognize him, and she blinked, feeling her eyes water as her vision slowly returned to her. Korin's stomach churned when she noticed the long, dark shock of wavy hair on his head, and saw his profile in the dim light.

"Ben?"

Another choked whimper.

Korin broke cover, darting to his side. A horrified, gurgling noise escaped him, and she covered her mouth. Ben was lying prone on the ground, still alive, but just barely. Blood was coming out of his mouth, viscous and dark. A large metal shaft protruded from his stomach, and he coughed again, the liquid splattering her face.

"No," she whispered, her fingers hovering helplessly over his chest. There was no way he was going to survive. Her muscles aching in protest, she pulled him up, cradled his chest to hers. Tried to keep him alive with her will alone.

Frightened eyes stared at her, and a pained moan escaped his mouth. His hands shakily scrabbled on the frozen ground, and she reached for them, grasping his fingers in hers.

She kissed his lips, his cheeks, his forehead. "Don't...Don't do this, Ben. Don't leave me alone." _I can't stand being alone._

A tear tracked down the side of her face, and she sniffed loudly, her eyes burning. His grip on her tightened suddenly. And then his eyes rolled to the back of his head and his hands slid from hers.

She nearly screamed when a person walked out from the shadows.

His face shone in the darkness, a mirror image to the boy lying on the ground save for the clear fact that he wasn't so bloodied or torn. He looked sad, though there was anger and something akin to dark amusement in his face. He gazed at her evenly. A half-there voice echoed faintly down the hallway. startling her again.

 _You need a teacher._

"Why couldn't you save me, Korin?" Ben looked her up and down, and scoffed as he circled her. "Of course. You're not powerful enough. And you never will be."

She stood, fists clenched, glaring at this mockery of her friend. "How dare you."

"You'll never be able to use the Force like I can. You won't be able to save them all." He snickered, and turned, looking back at her.

 _I could show you...the ways of the force._

She nearly swayed, her muscles locking in place as black edged around the corners of her vision. Her hand gripped tightly to a protruding shard of ice on the wall. Another figure appeared on her left, and in shock she saw that it was Master Skywalker. He stared at her, blue eyes sad. "Korin, you must leave the Academy. You're only ruining the others' chance of succeeding…Your visions hurt us all, bring instability to your friends. You must do what is best for the other students."

"No!" Korin yelled. Her voice escalated to a scream. "Shut up, shut up! You aren't real!" She crouched on the ground, covering her ears as more people stepped out from the shadows. Despite her yelling, their harsh whispers and hateful voices filled the tunnel, echoing and reverberating off the walls and inside her head.

"Are you a Jedi?"

A small girl crouched by her side, her tone shamelessly curious in the way all small children were. The messy tribun flopped a little at her movement, and Korin shivered as a small hand touched her arm. The screaming had turned to a howling; the sea-roaring of winds before a storm. Yet it was so quiet where they were that when the girl stood and pulled her to her feet, now the same height as her, now older, stronger, that her yell shocked Korin to the bone.

" _Are_ you a Jedi?!"

"Yes." The strangeness of her own voice shocked her; it seemed to shock the other woman as well. "Yes, I am."

She turned, barely noticed how her touch had faded from her arm, and stared at the wailing tempest before her. Faces flashed, torn from her, wicked, crying, grinning, screaming, yelling. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears, her already white-knuckled fists tightening. It was time to finish this. Finish her training.

" _Who... are... you?_ " The sentient voices coalesced into one low, warm and frightening tone.

Her eyes closed. "I am a harbinger of the Force. And I... am a part of the Light."

There was the sound of an explosion as a wave blasted out from her. She gasped as she fell on all fours, covering her head and neck as the ground began to shake, shards of icy stone and dust falling from the ceiling. The wraiths disappeared, dissolving into mist, the shouts and harsh whispers fading as the tremors in the cave stopped. For a moment, all she could hear was the sound of her own harsh breath, frightened and alone. Then, a soft glow began to approach her, highlighting the shining tear tracks on her face.

She raised her head, surprised, the pain in her chest diminishing. The tunnel began to brighten from the other end of the curve, and she quickly stood up, still wiping at her face as she began to run down the tunnel. She stopped just short of the entrance.

The crystals in the massive cavern chamber were glowing. The room felt several degrees warmer than the rest of the cave, and the ground was pattered with large and flat hexagonal crystals. Everywhere from floor to ceiling was covered in the smooth spikes of glittering gemstones.

The stone she'd been looking for rested on the wall to her left. It was tiny, about a third the length of her thumb, elliptical in shape and spiked on both ends. The gem was colorless and grey, rather ordinary-looking. But it was the only crystal in the cave that wasn't glowing or exhibiting any kind of extraordinary power. It was the one she was meant to collect.

She ran forward, stumbling a little over the cracks on the floor, before she reached the left side of the room. The stone was wedged in between three forked glassy spires, and Korin reached forward to gently wiggle it out of its encasement. It was rather warm in her hands and she clasped it tightly, feeling its heat soothe her numb fingers.

She was about to turn back and return through the way she'd come in when there was a low rumbling noise, and the crystals in front of her fell away to her sides as a small opening appeared in the wall. From this doorway she could hear the sound of a river, a roaring, tumultuous river echoing around the walls.

She stepped through the entrance.

She was standing on a terrace-like formation of rock that overlooked a massive underground lake. A giant waterfall high up on the other side of the lake fed into the body of water, creating the thundering noise. She could feel the cool spray even where she stood. She walked forward, mesmerized at the fierce beauty of the roaring whitewater.

And then _he_ appeared from the darkness.

She turned at the sound of footsteps behind her, a shiver of cold going up her spine. Wisps of black smoke trailed behind him, rendering his form shapeless and undefined. A glowing red lightsaber, crackling and hissing as it burned, was held in his right hand. Had she not seen the mask, the crossguards on his saber were an instant red flag to her.

 _No. This wasn't part of the test. It was supposed to end there. It was supposed to be over._

He stopped when he saw her, and then Korin flinched as the man started advancing towards her, walking faster. He was at least a foot taller than her, and a hood was drawn up around his head, though she could see clearly now the dark mask covering his features. Terror filled her.

 _He's not real. He's not here._

"Korin…return to me." The figure murmured, his voice distorted to become rough and deeper.

Instead of heeding his instructions, she backed up further and further, the crystal still clutched tightly in her hands as the sounds of rushing water became louder in her ears.

"Don't run away; don't leave me." He seemed to beg, the ragged red blade of his saber dropping to his side as he raised his other hand forward, beseeching her.

"Stay away from me!" Korin screamed at him, stumbling on the uneven ground. She turned and wobbled a little, seeing that she was standing right on the cliff edge. A rock tumbled down and hit the turmoil of grey water, and she cried out in fear as she swayed, unstable.

"Korin!" She heard a yell that sounded suspiciously like Ben, and as the man ran forward to her, she tripped and fell off the edge.

She didn't even have the time to scream. The breath whooshed out of her, and she hit the water hard. She gasped, and involuntarily took one final breath before she sank underwater.

The torrent was tremendous. She was drowning. The icy water tore at her, pushing and pulling her from side to side. She screamed, and the cold water rushed into her mouth and filled her lungs. Bubbles of precious air escaped her, flowing upwards in a dizzying rush to the surface. Her numb fingers slipped, and the glowstick was torn from her grip. Her other hand tightened on the tiny Kyber crystal.

She looked down, vision blurred by water and the horror made her colder than the temperature of the water had. The lake had no bottom. It was horrifying, fathomless and dark. Raw panic tore at her chest, and she struggled and turned her head back to what she had felt was upwards. She couldn't see the surface anymore. There wasn't any light anymore, only dark and then more darkness.

The hole was sucking her in, pulling on her. She couldn't fight back. No matter how she kicked and pushed against the water above her, the darkness pulled her closer and closer. And then it was all around her; she could see nothing, hear nothing except for the sound of rushing, pounding water.

The air she still had, it would kill her if Korin held on any longer. The pressure would be too strong and it would puncture her lungs. She parted her lips and felt it leave, a silvery, wobbling ball brushing by her face and floating upwards. Deeper and deeper she sunk, her lungs starved of oxygen, the cold numbing all her senses. Her eyes shut, not wanting to see her end come. Not wanting to be afraid anymore.

A hand reached down and pulled her up from the shadows.


	6. As on a darkling plain

**This chapter (just like the previous one) is kind of ¯\\_(** **ツ** **)_/** **, so when you come across ¯\\_(** **ツ** **)_/** **moments pls understand that I feel that way too. Because I'm just really tired and feeling lifed.**

 ** _Also guys, super important AN:_** **I've been getting really, really busy with school work and stuff. What's most difficult for me is writing the pre-TFA Ben and Korin chapters; I really like writing them to give more background and more feeling to the whole story, but it's really hard to write Ben and Korin so that they're not OOC or I'm also stuck for writing the present-day TFA chapters, because idk how to tie Korin into the movie. So I apologize if I can't upload any new chapters soon.**

 **4-7-16: PEOPLE LISTEN UP i'm planning to update ch7 before the end of spring break (4/11), PLES STAY WITH ME**

 ** _ugh *when you start losing followers because you never update*_**

 **Some dialogue in this chapter** **comes from the TFA script. As always, no one from Star Wars belongs to me in this story, except for Korin. Enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 6

* * *

The flight was a stomach-clenching hour, due to the fast acceleration at which Jess blasted her X-wing across the stars. Korin had never quite gotten used to being in a six-axis vehicle, even more so because the fighter jet was equipped more for speed. The specs of light in the blackness had lengthened to streaks of burningly-bright blue and white.

"So. I've heard a lot about you."

Korin startled from her somewhat uncomfortable thinking, looking up to see Jess as the other woman glanced back at her, bright eyes shielded by orange glass.

"Yeah?"

"You know, all that "last Jedi", "Warrior for the Resistance" stuff," Jess said cheerfully.

Korin laughed, her cheeks flushing a little in embarrassment. "Well, technically, I'm not a fully initiated Jedi. But that's what they call me, huh?" A small smile settled on her face.

"Yeah, well, I'd believe that. I'd believe anything that would help us stop the First Order." The younger woman's tone turned a little darker. "We've fought long enough."

The cabin was silent, then, both deep in thought. After a while, Korin found herself drifting to sleep, lulled by the warmth of the air.

* * *

"Hey, Korin…Wait, can I call you Korin?"

"Sure," she mumbled sleepily, rousing herself. There was a slight crick in her neck from resting in the wrong position, and she stretched as much as she could in the small cockpit.

"We're arriving in just a couple'a minutes."

"Alright, thanks." She yawned, blinking. To their side a small cluster of distant planets shone brightly, illuminated by the shared sun. In front, D'qar grew larger and larger, blotting out the other stars with splashes of green and brown and blue.

The X-wing's flight slowed as they entered its atmosphere. For a brief moment, the light around them burned orange-red from friction, before they broke through and the clouds came into view. Jess angled the controls and the jet cut through the layer of thick, puffy white.

A soft green carpet of land stretched out infinitely before them. The X-wing fell into a nosedive to decrease altitude, and both of them felt their ears pop. The fuzzy green expanded now, becoming green and brown strips of fields, monolithic trees that rose from the forest undergrowth. The sky was a pale blue, the same color reflecting in small ponds and rivers that cut across the dense forest.

They crested a hill and the Resistance base came to view. Korin bit back a gasp, craning her neck to get a better view. The base was massive. There was a command building on one end with a cluster of several smaller buildings annexed to it, stretching down a wide road to the landing strip and airfield. At least three dozen X-wing fighter jets were landed on the tarmac. Tiny ants of people moved across the ground, some turning their heads up to stare at them as they started their descent. The two of them were jolted roughly as the wheels touched ground, and Korin turned around to see the wings collapse on top of each other.

Pava taxied the jet into her assigned spot. Already a small group of people has congregated around the X-wing. The pilot popped open the hatch, calling to Korin, "I gotta give a mission report to my overseer. You should go to the command center; talk to the General." With that, she jumped down onto the concrete and ran towards one of the small buildings.

She sat back in her seat, and took a deep breath. This was it. She was really here. And she was ready to fight. Finally, Korin opened her eyes and grabbed the small backpack she had taken with her. She stood and stepped off the side of the cockpit, dropping into the tarmac.

All at once, she was surrounded by Resistance pilots and fighters; men and women of nearly all ages. Their eyes stared at her, judging, curious. Some were already talking, murmuring, but as she appeared their voices swelled in volume. She blinked a little in surprise at the vibrant welcome, and shouldered her backpack.

"Uhm…hi."

"Is it true?" A man asked from her right. "Can you use the Force?"

"You're gonna fight Ren?"

"Hey!"

"Are you here to join the Resistance?"

Amidst the yelling and questioning, a male pushed through the crowd. He was dressed in the blazing orange and white vest of a resistance fighter, his dark hair a little mussed. Korin watched him silently, trying to assess the new figure. She could feel an honesty, a kindness to him, and relaxed a little as he turned to address the gathering of people.

"Alright, guys, settle down, return to your stations, huh?"

"What's the matter with you, Dameron?"

"Yeah, we just wanna know what's going on!"

The man chuckled. "You'll get all the news in due time, guys. Come on. Disperse. She needs her rest, too."

"You sure she ain't just resting with you, huh?"

Korin made a face at the crude joke

"Hey, shut your mouth, Pedin," Dameron groaned, obviously annoyed. The other man flipped him off, amidst chuckles from the other pilots as the crowd slowly retreated.

Now that Korin could get a better look at the other man, she saw that he was exhausted. There was a minor cut healing on his cheekbone, and he moved with the motions of soreness, possibly heavy bruises. He patted her on the shoulder.

"You're welcome, about all that. These people've been dying for some news." He began walking towards the facility. "C'mon. Let's get you to the general."

"Thank you, Mr.…"

He made a face, chuckling. "Just call me Poe."

"Thank you, Poe."

The coolness of the main building was refreshing after being in an airtight plane for two hours and then the sun outside. She blinked, adjusting to the darkness inside.

Something bumped into her, and she turned to see a humanoid golden protocol droid staring at her, beginning to make apologetic motions.

"Oh, terribly sorry, miss…Miss Jacondir!" C-3PO's eyes flashed, and he wobbled a little, making Korin chuckle. "My, what a wonder it is to see you!"

"3PO!" She looked and saw that his right arm had been replaced by a red immovable brace. "What happened?"

"Oh, just a tiny little accident. Nothing to worry about. However, I must tell R2D2 at once that you are back; he may finally awake again! Excuse me." He moved his arm in a little awkward wave, and then turned to walk down the hall.

There was an older woman bent over on the desk, observing the hologram maps projected into the air. Her hair was silvered with age. She muttered something under her breath, tapping the touchscreen and switching to a three-dimensional scan of a system of planets.

"General?" The man, Poe, asked. The woman turned as they entered the room, and Korin felt her stomach drop as she saw her face.

"Korin." Leia Organa Solo smiled warmly, though there was something akin to sadness in her expression. She looked so much older so much more weary and tired. Leia hurriedly brushed a few strands of grey hair from her face. "You're here, finally. We've a lot to get working on."

She paused, and then, quieter, she said, "I understand…you may not want to bring yourself into this, but-"

Korin cut her off. "With all due respect, Leia, if there's anything I want more, it's to take down the First Order. Kylo Ren and the Sith can't bring us back into darkness."

Leia looked worried for a moment. "About that, Korin-" They were distracted by a beeping noise from the screen, and both turned their heads to look as a red notification popped up onto the hologram. Poe rushed over from where he had stood pretending he wasn't listening, and swiped his finger across the screen, opening the alert.

"It's from our outpost on Takodana. Maz says that the map's going to arrive today." At the questioning look on Korin's face, Poe explained, "That woman's got eyes and ears everywhere. Benefits of being a pirate lord."

"What map, then?" She looked at Leia.

"The map to my brother. To Luke Skywalker."

Korin swallowed, the line of her mouth tightening. "Okay. What does this give us?"

"If we can get there before the First Order does, assuming that they're also going to receive this missive…We should retrieve the droid."

"I'm going." She said immediately, her tone firm as she crossed her arms.

The older woman looked like she wanted to say more and Korin elaborated. "You know it should be me to bring the map home. I was the one who wasn't there." Korin took a breath. "I should be the one to retrieve the map, to bring us closer to finding Luke."

Leia sighed, rubbing at her forehead as she conceded. "Very well. Testor?"

Jess ran over from a shadowy hallway where she, too, had been eavesdropping. "Yes, General?"

Leia raised her eyebrows at the young woman. "Were you also listening?"

"Well, I was, um, I was actually, uh-"

"Just…Go with Korin. Fly her to Takodana, and retrieve the map."

"Dude!" Jess turned and high-fived a rather startled Korin. "Sweet! This is gonna be so awesome!"

"Pava."

"General?"

"If the Order does arrive, you must be prepared to engage their ship in battle. This is a serious mission. Is that clear?"

Poe pouted and slouched in a corner, making Korin laugh. "Aw, man. Why'm I not going?"

"Dameron, you just flew two back to back missions, and you endured…interrogation. You need to rest. I won't have my pilots exhausted and inefficient." Leia stated. Defeated, Poe nodded, standing up fully.

Jess handed Korin a crisscrossed belt, which she looped around her waist and clipped her lightsaber onto, so that it slung just below her hip. As Jess grabbed her hand and nearly dragged Korin out to the airfield, Leia let out a breath. "I hope to God Kylo Ren doesn't arrive."

"Why, General?"

"Because neither of them will be prepared to see each other again." With that, General Leia turned and headed back into the control room, leaving a very confused Poe Dameron staring at the airstrip.

* * *

They landed an hour and a half after on Takodana, in the shadows of the trees and away from the many other freighters and ships on the other side of the castle. Korin all but fell out of the cockpit, her face a little grey from a few loops Jess had to perform in order to dodge a flock of birds.

"Sorry about that."

"'S alright." She cleared her throat, and took a deep breath, straightening to stare at the sky.

"I think I need to check the stabilizers on this old girl, and see about a tank cleaning. You can get the map, right? It should be a simple transfer." Jess slammed close the glass of the cockpit, and turned to look at Korin.

"Yep."

"In case anything happens, here's a comm link." Jess handed Korin a small square-shaped device. "When you press this button, it sends me an alert. I'll have one, too." She opened a small hatch and pulled out a large netted tarp. Together, and with some difficulty, they threw the camouflaging cloth over the entire length of the X-wing.

"All we have to do is to wait, I guess. I'm not too sure if Kanata already has the map." Korin muttered, flicking a piece of lint off of her sleeve as Jess adjusted the tarp.

The small castle-shaped fortification stood at the edge of a massive glassy lake fringed with trees. Korin left the shade of the forest and walked towards the crumbling masonry. In front of her, at the top of the wall, a tall statue of an alien woman stood, poised like the figurehead of a ship. Her mouth was set at a half-smile, eyes peering ahead seriously. The carved rock was worn and chipped in places. Walking further, she passed under silk streamers and colorful banners, some a little faded with age, hanging from the roofless rafters above the tiny courtyard. Various symbols were emblazoned on many of the pieces of cloth, all from forgotten memories of pirates and warlords.

Korin walked up the steps to the gigantic red-painted door, and reached forward to grasp and turn the heavy brass handle, before she pushed the door open. Inside it was a scene of organized chaos.

The scent of smoke pervaded the atmosphere, and she could hear laughter, shouting, and yelling all around her. Aliens and humans filled the floor, gambling, conversing, conspiring as they drunk and ate. Nearly all of the inhabitants appeared to be intoxicated. A shrieking giggle surprised Korin, and she turned to see a scantily-dressed woman toss her head back with delight.

A hand tapped her on the elbow, and she looked down, seeing a rather tiny woman standing in front of her. Her eyes were magnified by thick glass goggles she wore wrapped around her head. Her wrinkled skin was a dark vermillion orange, and her head was wrapped by a dark cloth, the same color as her dress. She immediately recognized the woman from the statue erected outside. This must be Maz Kanata.

"Korin Jacondir!" she said, in an astounded voice, bright brown eyes peering up at her with curiosity. "So this is who the Resistance sends to retrieve the map. It is an honor to meet you. Come, quickly. We must talk."

As suddenly as she had appeared, she turned and disappeared through the tight clusters of people, leaving Korin with no choice to follow her into the back of the castle. Wreathes of smoke surrounded the small table Maz led her to, where the chairs were, miraculously, devoid of any occupants. The short woman plopped herself down on a stool, and watched as Korin took the seat across from her.

"So. Tell me, have you joined them?"

"Of course. How could I not?" Maz smiled, leaning back on her seat, as Korin continued. "Where's this map you told us about?"

"Oh, well," Maz gestured, "it hasn't actually…arrived yet. But, but I do know it's going to be here within the hour."

"Alright. Thank you. For all of this." She added, quickly.

Maz brushed her aside. "It is nothing, young one. When you have lived for as long as I have, you will come to see when evil must be stopped, and at what lengths. And now, we must wait for our salvation to arrive."

"I'll get a drink. Tell me when they get here." She said quietly, sliding off and moving towards the bar. Just as she had ordered a shot of cheap colorless ambrostine from the bartender, she heard Maz loudly call out.

"Han Solo!" The entire floor fell silent as the door opened wider and light spilled through the haze of smoke.

She watched, astounded, as the weary-looking man looked up in surprise to see Maz standing, arms akimbo, as she glared at him. Behind him stood a woman about the same age as Korin, and a dark-skinned young man, both with equal amounts of shock on their face as they took in the wildness that was Maz's castle. A small sphere-shaped astromech droid rolled up behind them, making soft blooping noises as its head swung from side to side.

Han muttered something, and then said, louder, as he waved, "Hey, Maz!"

Then the noise returned, surrounding and enveloping the five as Maz walked over to Han, and Korin pushed through to join them.

"Where's my boyfriend?"

Han rolled his eyes. "Chewie's working on the Falcon."

Maz poked him on the arm. "I like that Wookie. And I assume you need something, something that she wants." The woman pointed to Korin, who had just emerged after shoving unceremoniously through many people. Han's mouth dropped open.

"Korin?"

"Mr. Solo," Korin said, taken aback. "I haven't seen you since…" _Since you'd flown me to Korvaii after the massacre._

The sentence hung unspoken in the air. Han swallowed, his eyes flitting nervously towards the Falcon, still parked outside.

"Oh, come on. If you two aren't going to say anything, we have important business to get to," Maz said nonchalantly, waving them inside. This time, they followed Maz all the way to the back of the room and to a more secluded alcove, where all five sat down.

"Korin," Han gestured, "This is Finn, and she's Rey."

"You're from the Resistance?" Rey asked immediately, leaning forward on cloth-wrapped arms. The small droid perked up, beeping as it rolled over to Korin and bumped against her leg.

"Yes." Korin stared at Rey, overcome with a feeling of recognition by the wide, curious smile on her face, along with the three loops of dark hair on her head. "Um, where did you say you're from?"

"Jakku. I-" Rey was cut off from asking any further when Han spoke, waving his hand dismissively in the air.

"Korin, Maz, whichever one of you, get this droid to Leia."

Maz seemed to consider, and then she shook her head. "No. You've been running away from this fight for too long, Han Solo. Go home!"

Weariness seemed to settle on his shoulders. "Leia doesn't want to see me."

"Please," Finn said. "We came here for your help."

"What fight?" Rey questioned, ignoring the others. Her mouth was half-full with a variety of fruits that she'd started devouring. She brushed away wisps of brown hair from her face and leaned in.

Korin felt herself say, "The only fight." When the others turned to her in confusion, she continued, "Against the dark side of the Force."

Maz nodded. "Through my years, I've seen evil and darkness take on many forms. The Sith. The Empire. Today, it is the First Order. Their shadow is spreading across the galaxy. We must face them. Fight them. All of us."

Finn started, his brow furrowed in anger. "There's no fight against the First Order. Not one we can win." He gestured wildly to their surroundings. "Look around. There's no chance we haven't been recognized already. I bet you they're on their way right now."

"Let them come," Korin said resolutely, her grip tightening on the lightsaber on her hip. "I'm not afraid to die."

"Who are you, anyways?" Finn asked, pointing at her.

"The last of the Jedi," Maz murmured. Everyone turned to see her standing up on her chair and adjusting her goggles as she stared at Finn. "And you…" She leaned closer, her eyes magnified.

"What's this? What're you doing?"

Her bony fingers twisted the knobs on the sides of her goggles again, and her irises grew larger and larger. She grunted, and then hoisted herself up into the table with her elbows. Her arm knocked over Korin's glass and Rey's plate as she started crawling towards the young man.

Finn's voice was panicked. "S…Solo? What's she doing?!"

"I don't know, kid, but it ain't good."

"If you live long enough," Maz started, leaning even closer, now less than a few inches away from Finn, "you see the same eyes…in different people. I'm looking into the eyes of a man…who wants to run."

His jaw clenched as frustration flashed darkly in his eyes. "You don't know a _thing_ about me. Not where I'm from. And not what I've seen. You all don't know the First Order like I do. They'll slaughter us." His voice became deathly. "We all need to run."

Without a word or even a sign of shock, Maz slid back into her chair, and adjusted her glasses back to normal. She raised a wizened orange arm, and pointed to a far-away table near a window, where two rough-looking aliens were conversing.

"You see those two? They'll trade work for transportation to the Outer Rim. You can disappear if you go with them."

Finn seemed to consider that option, and Rey stared at him, aghast. "Finn!?"In response, he turned to her; grabbed her hand. "Come with me."

Rey looked stunned. "What about BB-8? We're not done yet. We have to get him back to your base."

He shook his head, decision made. "I can't." He stood, and, after a moment, offered the blaster back to Han.

"Keep it." Han said quietly. With that, Finn nodded, and walked away. Rey quickly got up from her seat, and rushed to follow him.

"Now, where were we…?" Maz said, leaning back.

"Korin, I always knew you would fall back into this mess." Han grumbled, annoyed.

"I'm obligated to, sir. And it'll always be my duty, even if I'm not a Jedi." Korin replied quietly.

"And enough with all the "Mr.", "Sir" crap," he muttered. "You don't need to. Not after Ben."

"Han…I'm sorry. I should have…I should've been there."

"We all should've been there." He said, cryptically.

Korin turned to look at the other two, and saw Finn gesticulating frantically as Rey stood, arms crossed. When he began walking towards the door, Rey grabbed his arm. She said something, and Finn shook his head again.

"Take care of yourself. Please."

Rey's hand dropped from his arm, and he moved forward, crossing the threshold of the door with the two aliens. Rey watched him, a mixture of hurt and anger on her face. Suddenly, her head turned sharply to the side, as though she heard someone call her name. She turned away from the door as Finn walked farther away, and disappeared deeper into the building.

"Where's she going?" Korin asked, absently, as she drank the remainder of the ambrostine.

Han put his hand down on the table. "Listen, kid. You gotta leave this. There isn't much we can do."

Maz narrowed her eyes at him. "I have the sudden feeling that you know more than you are letting on."

"This isn't your concern, Maz. Korin, once the map's back to Leia, there's no more you can do. Finn's right. The First Order is too strong for any of us."

"How can you say that, Han? We have to fight. We have to show them that they can't control us all." Her voice was impassioned, angry. "That they can't let the whole blasted galaxy live in darkness."

As she crossed her arms and stared at Han, daring him to contradict, all of a sudden, Korin felt a pounding in her head. Her skin turned warm as she felt an insurmountable wave of unadulterated energy push against her.

"What…what's going on?" She blinked, vision blurring, hearing her own heart beat loudly.

"Child, what do you see?"

The sound of a scream. And then, a darkened scene of rain and blood and sorrow in a place so recognizable and yet so unfamiliar it hurt.

 _"No! Don't leave me!"_

She stood so suddenly that her chair was knocked to the side. "It's the Force," she breathed dizzily, swaying a little as she gripped tightly to the table edge.

"The lightsaber," Maz said, and then instantly stood and ran into the depths of the bar, Korin slowly walking after her a moment later. They descended down hewn-stone steps into a large, dark hallway lit only by dimly burning sconces on the walls. The cobblestones were cold under their feet as they advanced, walking towards the open door at the end of the chamber.

There was a dull thud, and then the door was pushed open and Rey fell out onto the floor, gasping in terror. Wide eyes stared into the darkness of the small room.

"What was that?" she whispered, alarm and terror in her voice, more to herself. "I shouldn't've …I shouldn't have gone in there."

Maz approached her, pointing to the hilt clutched in Rey's hand. "That lightsaber was Luke's. And his father's before him, and now, _it calls to you!_ " Her voice rose with emotion.

Rey got up to her feet, still panting, breathless. "I have to get back to Jakku."

Maz reached out and grasped her hand in hers. "I see it in your eyes, child. You already know the truth. Whoever you're waiting for on that planet…they're never coming back. But there's someone that still could."

"Luke." Rey murmured, surprise on her face. '

Maz continued, her grasp tighter on Rey. "The belonging you seek…it is not behind you. It is ahead. I am no Jedi, but I know the Force, and so does Korin. It moves through, inside, surrounds every living thing in this universe. Close your eyes. Feel it."

A rush of calm, of cool soothing balm applied to a burning wound of fear and darkness.

"The light. It's always been there, and it will guide you home. Take the saber."

Rey took a step back. "I'm never touching that again." Panic began to edge into her voice as she thrust the saber out at Maz, compelling her to take it. "I don't want any part in this." Without another word, she turned and ran back down the hallway and up the stairs.

"Blast," Korin exclaimed, her shoulders slumping.

Maz sighed; turned to look back at the open doorway. In the dim light, both could see the ceiling-high stacks of treasures and trinkets inside the storage room. On a tiny velvet-cloaked table lay a small, nondescript wood box, and Maz placed the silver saber hilt back inside. "She will come back in due time. It is her destiny." The two of them began to walk back towards the first floor.

Suddenly, from outside they heard sounds of people exclaiming in shock, anger and fear. A very faint rumbling vibrated the ground beneath them, and they quickly went outside the castle, where groups of pirates and merchants had already congregated, staring up at the blue sky. Korin inhaled sharply in shock, as she, too, tilted her head up and saw a faint but brilliant streak of burning red blasting across the stars. Even from here, millions of miles away, they could hear the dull roar of the firebeam as it split apart.

And then she looked further, and saw, through the dim haze of the atmosphere, a small cluster of planets directly in the trajectory of the beam. The streak in the center reached the largest hazy little sphere in the sky, and she felt her blood run cold as the tiny ball ignited, crumpling in on itself in a matter of minutes and becoming glowing shards of matter strewn across the firmament. Something icy flushed down her body and she winced, doubling over and holding onto her knees as her head ached.

Hosnian Prime was gone, as if it were a speck of dust pushed away by wind.

"It was the Republic," she heard a voice say, and looked to see Finn walking up to them. "The First Order, they've done it. Where's Rey?"

"She's left to the forest with BB-8." Korin replied, fingers massaging her temples, still in shock as she stared up at the tiny fragments now floating in the sky.

"I must show you," Maz said quickly to Finn and Han, leading the trio back into the castle. "I've had this for ages."

They descended once more into the underground hallway, racing towards the treasure room. Maz pushed the door open and ran to the small box, opening it and pulling out the lightsaber.

She handed it to Finn. "Kept it locked away."

Han's voice was incredulous. "Where'd you get that?"

She turned to him. "A good question, but for another time." Then, she said, hurriedly, to the younger man, "Take it! Find your friend!"

Korin felt a buzzing against her skin, and pulled out the communicator chip to see an alert flashing across the screen. Immediately, from above they could hear faint rumbling, and the ceiling shook, casting dust down on them. Slowly, muffled sounds of yelling and gunfire rose from the outside.

"Those beasts!" Maz cried, rage and sadness in her voice. "They're here!"

All at once the screech of TIE-fighters was upon them, and Korin raced up the stairs, ducking as a huge chunk of masonry was blasted off from the walls. They ran out into the open, and stood there in horror as a TIE-fighter, followed by three more, swerved low to the ground, barely missing them as it shot down the castle and the people running in the open. Soon, the X-wing was spotted by a First-Order fighter, and she heard a voice scream, "No!" as they fired. The fuel tank exploded in a massive cloud of black smoke and orange-red flame that enveloped the rest of the jet, burning and warping the metals beyond repair.

Jess appeared, running out of the forest, dust smeared on her face as she rushed over to her and drew her blaster. Everywhere, people were trying to run, screaming and shouting in fear as they were mercilessly cut down by the Order. And then transporter ships began to land, and Korin felt fear spike in her as scores upon scores of faceless Stormtroopers rushed out to attack.

The other three began firing with deadly precision at the troopers, and Korin ignited her lightsaber, flicking her wrist and swinging it in an arc as she deflected an incoming blaster bolt, causing it to cleave through another Stormtrooper advancing from behind. From above, as the battle raged on the ground, a large, black and charcoal-colored command ship descended onto the small landing before the castle. With a hiss, the flight doors unfolded, blasts of vapor spewing out from the exhaust ports. And Korin's blood ran cold as she heard the sounds of boots on metal, and Kylo Ren stepped out from the white steam.


	7. Obfuscate

**WE'VE HIT 100 FAVORITES and I'm pretty sure we hit 200 alerts at some point but people started unfollowing because I didn't update in 11 years, sorry :(**

 **But anyways,** **the chapter you've probably all been waiting for... is here. And I think it's kind of iffy but I wanted to get this out as soon as possible, before school starts again and i'm drowning in NHD and _TKAM_.**

 **4-12-16: dang ppl we are at over 10,000 hits, 102 favorites, and 202 alerts. Thank you guys all so much for your continued support and stuff :D**

 **5-19: I just checked stats today and we've reached 10,700 hits! Thank you all for being gr8**

 **6-29 - I've arrived home from China; I'm about halfway through both ch8 and 9 (working on them at the same time, basically), but I still need a little bit more time**

 _ **Important: Chapter 8 will either be another background chapter or an emo Kylo Ren chapter (nightmares and cries); reader choice? If you want to, vote in the comments.**_

 **PLEASE REVIEW AND GIVE ME FEEDBACK OR FEELS.**

 **As always, I do not own any part of the Star Wars Franchise or other thingies; my OC is Korin.**

* * *

Chapter Seven

* * *

He looked bestial, terrifying and monstrous, from the sway of his dark robes to the hulking broadness of his shoulders to the dull glint of silver as his mask caught a gleam of sunlight. For a moment he stood completely still, seemingly in contemplation. Korin felt her own breath whoosh out of her, felt her heartbeat slow, and terror laced through her when his head sharply turned to the side to face where they stood.

"You."

His arm rose at the same time hers snapped up, and Korin muffled a cry of exertion as the power of the Force clashed. Her four friends were shoved away by the impact. She gritted her teeth, struggling to hold her ground. But he was so much more stronger than her, and she felt her world tilt as he pushed angrily (gently, caressing, warm) against her shields.

Finally, he spoke. "You haven't changed, Korin." The low voice was not unkind, merely curious, almost in wonderment.

 _What the kriff was that supposed to mean?_

Then, as if in slow motion, Korin turned to see a shell hit the stone beside them, the blast impact tumbling shards of imploding duracrete through the liquid air towards her. She ducked, and the connection broke as she rolled down onto the gravel, avoiding the shrapnel. The gritty taste of dust filled her mouth and she spat, her eyes watering.

A Stormtrooper called to Ren from several meters away. "Sir, the droid was spotted heading west, with a girl." Crouched on all fours, Korin ducked behind a slab of rubble, her breathing shallow as the stray tendrils of his Force signature swirled in the air. Ren turned back in her direction, almost torn between his destiny and the woman in front of him. Finally, he made his decision, and with a wave of his hand, the pressure dropped. His voice sounded confident and reassured when he next spoke, already turning away.

 _"I'll see you again."_

Just as Ren began walking into the forest, Korin turned, rising to her knees as she pulled her lightsaber from her belt, intent on finishing the job. Instantly, a crimson blaster bolt whizzed past her head and she ducked as a Stormtrooper appeared from behind a mound of rubble, continuously firing his blaster in her direction. Her lightsaber ignited and she surged to her feet, twirling the hilt as the bolts ricocheted off her lightsaber, and finally dispatched the trooper with a swing of the glowing white blade.

She heard Chewie's roar, and out of the corner of her eye saw several Stormtroopers sent flying into the air from a bowcaster shot. Korin took off sprinting into the fray, twisting fluidly through the white-armored Troopers. A Stormtrooper ran head-on towards Korin, and she dodged from side to side, avoiding the blaster rounds, before she hit the ground, skidding through his legs. She rolled around and stabbed her lightsaber through his back, and a dull thud sounded as he fell to the ground.

Through strips rubble that opened to clear gray-blue sky, she saw Finn fending off a heavily-armored Stormtrooper. The sizzling crash of Luke's lightsaber on the riot control baton was drowned out by the sound of deafening explosions as the last remaining spire of the castle toppled to the ground, choking the air with dust.

Korin raised her hands and force-blasted away two Stormtroopers who rounded the corner, and they slumped down against the rubble, unconscious. She felt a thrumming pulse in the air, and ducked just in time to see a bolt go flashing in the air above her. The heat seared at her skin, and she dodged, hearing the blaster bolt hit the ground beside her.

"Freeze!" The Stormtrooper behind her commanded, his blaster raised at her. Suddenly, he fell to the ground, a smoking hole in his chestplate; Korin looked behind him to see Jess standing there, her weapon raised, determination on her face.

Finn crashed to the ground, his lightsaber knocked from his hand. As the Stormtrooper raised his mace to deliver the final blow, a bowcaster shot hit him and he was blasted away.

Jess joined her as they ran over to the two, surveying the clearing around them. Han pulled Finn up. "You okay, Big Deal?"

Finn nodded, his face streaked with sweat. "Thanks."

"Don't move!"

A squadron of Troopers appeared from over a rise, their blasters aimed at them. One spoke through a comm link to their commander. "TK-338, we have the targets in custody."

Another Stormtrooper motioned to the group with the barrel of his blaster. "Drop your weapons." Korin exhaled sharply through her nose as she flung her lightsaber to the side, and raised her hands in defeat. Jess glared hotly at another Stormtrooper as she cast her blaster down onto the ground. They were marched over to a transport ship, monitored on all sides by the soldiers.

Then, a strange, thunderous roar coming from the other end of the lake startled them; and as it grew louder and louder, a massive cloud of steaming water appeared to materialize across the lake. Several of the troopers turned in surprise. The leader grabbed his comm, and even through the filters of his mask Korin could hear the panic in his voice.

"We have incoming at two-eight point six. Dispatch; all squads scramble! Repeat, scramble all squads!"

"It's the Resistance," Han whispered. Korin stared in awe, when, for the briefest of moments the mist faded and she saw at least a dozen and a half X-wing fighters speeding towards them, marked in the familiar black and orange colors. The head X-wing curved up gracefully just as it reached them, and the others followed, fanning out across the sky as they returned fire to the TIE-fighters.

Amid the cacophony, as explosions sounded around them and the Stormtroopers began to disperse, Korin reached out, her lightsaber and Jess' blaster flying through the air towards her.

She tossed the weapon to Jess. "Here!" Chewie picked up his bowcaster from the ground as Han turned and shot another Trooper. An X-wing swooped down and began shooting with deadly accuracy through the rubble, scattering the rest of the white-armored Stormtroopers Others joined them, firing at the grounded TIE-fighters and First Order ships.

Finn cheered. "Yeah! That's one hell of a pilot!"

A Trooper jumped up from behind a chunk of duracrete, blaster raised. Korin advanced upon him, deflecting his shots one after another. She reached out with a free hand and Force-grabbed his blaster, pulling it from him. He began backing up fearfully, and Korin brought her lightsaber down, killing him. Another explosion shook the ground around them as a TIE-fighter went up in flames.

"Pull back to the tree line!" A Stormtrooper called. She pulled her lightsaber from the body of a Trooper and watched, worried, as the First Order began fleeing. Had they found BB-8?

And then at the same time she heard Finn whisper, "No," she saw the dark-clad figure of Kylo Ren walking out from the forest, a bundle of white linen in his arms. Rey, in his arms. He silently ascended the durasteel ramp into the command ship, two Troopers flanking him.

The wings folded down and the shuttle took flight. Finn chased after the command shuttle, desperation heavy as he screamed. "No, no, no…Rey!"

He seemed to crumple in on himself, panting, his eyes filled with pain as the First Order fleet receded into the sky, with Rey aboard. "He took her, did you see that?" Frantically, Finn turned to look at Korin, Jess, and Han. "He took her. She's gone."

Han waved him away, seemingly distracted as he walked closer to Chewbacca. "Yeah, yeah, I know." Korin gave Finn a consoling, if not awkward, pat on the shoulder, and the five of them watched as a battered transport pod began its descent in a dusty clearing near the remains of the castle. She heard a soft, low whistle, and looked down to see BB-8 rolling closer to them, his head propped up inquisitively. She smiled at him as she clipped her lightsaber to her belt, but understanding came over her. Ren had taken Rey, not BB-8, either because Rey had seen the map, or he wanted to use her as a bargaining chip. Both options sounded grim.

The transport shuttle opened, and a group of Resistance troops and medics walked out. Korin was quickly motioned to the side by a med droid to rest, the droid scanning her body for injuries. Han stayed put, carefully scanning the new arrivals, before the crowd dispersed, and only Leia remained, standing quietly a few feet away from him. Both of them were silent.

"Goodness! Han Solo!" A golden protocol droid appeared from inside the ship, and walked over to stand in-between Han and Leia. "It is I, See-Threepio! You probably don't recognize me because of the red arm," he continued grandly, gesturing to said arm.

Leia stood there with a semi-annoyed expression on her face when 3PO turned around to her. "Look who it is! Did you see-" Sudden realization overcame him, and he turned to look at Han, and then back at Leia, his voice crestfallen and slightly embarrassed. "Oh."

Korin snorted, then gave a groan as the droid prodded lightly at a purpling bruise on her back.

"Excuse me, Prin-…uh, General. Sorry." He wobbled out of the way, waving his arm down at BB-8. "Come along, quickly, BB-8." The astromech droid gave a questioning beep, and 3PO agreed, "Yes, I must get my proper arm reinstalled."

She saw Han and Leia exchange a few words, slowly falling back into the pattern of easy banter of old friends. Han turned, eyed Korin for a moment, but decided to continue.

"I saw him, Leia. I saw our son."

Korin's head snapped up.

"He was here."

She all but shoved the medical droid away when it tried to stop her from moving. "What do you mean? Ben's alive?"

Han rubbed a hand over his face, weariness in the set of his shoulders. "Leia, I said we should have told her."

"Where was he?"

Leia sighed sadly, her dark eyes kind on Korin. "You must have known who he was, Rin."

She faltered, feeling the weight of their words. A wave of cold washed over her as she thought back on when they first met, when she felt the strength behind him, felt the peculiar warmth of the Force in the air surrounding him. Kylo Ren, the man that she'd sworn to end, the man that had murdered and destroyed so much of the galaxy. She could not reconcile the boy that she had loved with the man who she'd seen today.

And yet, she realized, the feeling of his touch on her mind from earlier was as familiar as the summer wind, as comforting as the splash of running water over smooth rocks.

"I thought I lost him. I…" She paused, shook her head, her voice wavering on her next words. "I felt that I'd lost him."

Han's expression was heavy with guilt. "That's 'cause we did, Korin."

* * *

 _ **Again, chapter 8's content is somewhat of a reader's choice (look up at the beginning AN)**_

 **In reply to LadyRedStar, who was asking about Kylo not interacting a lot with Korin despite his stalkerishness (heh) of her: lol I understand :'(, and thank you so much for telling me and bringing this to my attention - it's my fault :P for not writing on or working on Failsafe in so long, and I forgot some things. I still have to let it kind of slide to be able to continue the plot, plus I guess this is more of Korin's POV so she can't really tell his specific emotions/desires. in the next chapter I'll explain more, and I'll also add more elaboration/revising to this chapter. Sorry if it kind of threw you and other readers off.**


	8. Sweet As Cherry Wine

y'all ready for this

I'm planning on chapter 9 being a flashback chapter on more important stuff. Thank you all so much for sticking with me; I'm a little worried that the SW TFA hype has gone down (it's been half a year lmao) but hopefully we still have the kylo trash bin to live in.

also this is dedicated to my one and only true friend armitage hux

 _ **IMPORTANT: These past few months I've been constantly rewriting and updating previous chapters, just a btw that you guys can keep rereading everything :| BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY I added an extremely significant plot point/character motivation point (?) in CHAPTER THREE so go back and read it**_

 ** _90% chance that ch9 will be up before school starts_**

 **For those of you who want to skip this chapter bc it's dark and sad, that's fine, though I do recommend you at least read the last half/one-third of this chapter - it's a semi-important plot point (?)**

 ** _TW: Dark, semi-detailed violence, blood, sadness_**

* * *

Chapter 8

* * *

 _Do you think I'm special,_

 _Do you think I'm nice?_

 _Am I bright enough to shine in your spaces?_

 _Between the noise you hear,_

 _And the sounds you like,_

 _Are we just sinking in an ocean of faces?_

 _It can't be possible – that rain could fall,_

Only when it's over our heads.

 _The sun is shining every day, but it's far away_

 _Over the world instead._

OneRepublic, All The Right Moves

The torrential storm poured down, flooding across the stone tiles he stood on. The heavy black cloth he wore was soaked, its ragged edge dripping water onto the rest of his cloak, the coldness bitterly washing down upon his skin. For a moment a jagged streak of _blue_ -white- _blue_ crackled down through the streaming water, and his knights shifted warily, afraid.

 _I see… great potential in you. Strength to take back…the one that he has taken from you. And from that potential, from that will to…change…to make things…right…again…_

A yell echoed across the clearing, vicious as a savage hawk. He turned and his lightsaber met with one that glowed bright blue, as the female Padawan glared at him, her hair wild, tears mingled with rain running down her face.

He stared back, emotionless, calm as he parried each wild swing of her blade, and, when she turned, dodging his blow, he snapped his blade back and carelessly slew her. She slumped to the ground, dead, eyes wide and unseeing as her form collapsed beside the others before her.

 _I say that you are Kylo. Kylo Ren, master…of the Knights of Ren._

He turned, stared at the destruction he had brought down upon the Academy, upon the weak beginnings of the Jedi. Blood seeped into the cracks of the stones, viscously spilled across the ground. He shook, a soft, wavering noise escaping him, unheard under the pounding of the rain. They had fallen. They had all fallen.

The sound of footsteps jolted him and he turned, his breathing heavy, seeing a hooded figure appear a few meters away from him.

"Ben, what have you done?"

 _My disciple._

"My name is Kylo!"

A curved streak of fiery red arced through the air, clashing with bright green.

 _And…upon you, my rock…I shall build my church._

Suddenly, his surroundings shifted, Luke, his knights all dropping off into the shadows as the world around him spun. He dropped to a crouch, gloved hands tightening on the stone as the world went quiet. A headache began to build in his temples; memories disturbed that did not match up with what he'd just seen. _No, that wasn't how it had happened. They'd been alone that night._

In the deafening silence, Kylo could hear his own breathing, almost too loud, too _human_. Mist curled up from the ground as he stood, fists clenched by his sides. It swirled thickly around his dark clothing, undulating, swathes fading in some places and becoming opaque in others. His eyes narrowed behind his helmet and he took another deep breath, tasting smoke and metal in the back of his throat.

There was something waiting for him on the other side of the black, something; some _one_ important.

And there was also a voice.

A face appeared in the darkness. It was a woman, pale, her cheeks flushed. Her brown hair was wispy and filled with streaks of grey, and her eyes were bloodshot. She stared at him, her eyes terrifyingly wide, saying nothing. He nearly flinched, nearly jerked back. But then he heard the familiar buzz and crackle as the lightsaber ignited by his side, the eerie glow cast on her dirtied features, and he knew what he had to do, knew what he must do to get to the end.

The blade flashed bloody crimson in the air, carving the figure to pieces that started to wail, that screamed and fell and bled so _red_ and dissolved into nothingness.

More and more appeared, surging like demons from the gloom; they pushed against him from all sides, beginning to cry, begging, whispering, shouting in a senseless babble that he couldn't understand. Wouldn't dare to understand. His destruction fell again and again and again, meeting barely any resistance as more figures, some shapeless and others almost _tangible_ , surged forward and were eliminated one after another.

The smoke around him seemed to grow thicker, rising to his chest, and despite the filter that should have been on his mask it filled him, choking, twisting, terrible and horrible in his mouth and throat and lungs. He coughed, swung the saber again.

Only tests.

Only nothingness.

He was running out of time. The very air seemed to strangle him, the voices were too loud. There were too many. He finally surrendered himself to them, roaring in rage as he stabbed and cut and murdered, his blood boiling with madness and fury in his veins. The evil, the rage was seductive and satisfying as it consumed him.

And then, as the screams reached their crescendo, when he felt himself on the very edge of insanity from the frenzy of killing, it was as though a window had been opened, and all the fog, the red mist sprayed into the air, the horrible, horrible wails, disappeared. He gasped, breathing in cool, clean air, collapsing on his knees. Chest heaving, he extinguished his lightsaber.

There were bodies everywhere. Some were piled one atop another, lying where he had slayed them. He could see the colors now, white and yellow, orange and dark, blue eyes and green ones and darker brown eyes that stared and would never see again. And most prominently there was red.

A soft whisper came from ahead of him. The sound of snow. Vaguely he saw images flash past in his mind – a glassy plane in an endless field of white; the overarching shadow of a cave. Water, so cold as his hand found hers.

Never wanting to let go again.

His chest rose and fell as he stared at the little girl lying beside him. Her eyes were closed, bloody fingers still clutching her collarbone, leaving a smear of red on her tawny skin. Her other hand was reaching towards her left, and he saw an older woman, her face lined with age, slumped beside her.

 _Mother, what have I done?_

His hands, still holding his lightsaber, shook.

The sound seemed to grow louder and louder, a hissing white static. Finally, he raised his head, and stilled as his eyes adjusted to the sudden bright light that scintillated off the silver streaks of his mask. There was a swirling maelstrom of smoldering, chaotic vapor ahead of him, a turbulent vortex of rage that swayed atop a wide hewn-stone pedestal.

This was where he was meant to go. This was the end of it all.

Shakily, he stood, and slowly, hesitantly walked forward. The sound of his footsteps was loud, echoing in the great hall of stone. Every step up the dais felt weighted and impossibly heavy until he had reached the top, staring into the storm. His mask betrayed no more emotion as he listened to the sound of the wind whistling away, muted screams torn from his ears as it seemed to spin faster and faster.

He reached a hand forward and brushed his fingers against the grey transparencies.

It _burned._

It burned like fire, like pain and white-hot agony flooding into his skin and flesh and veins and bones. An inhumane cry tore from his chest and he pulled back, staring at his hand. There was no sign of injury, no blood or gash that covered him. The wind seemed to laugh at him, a shivering giggle escaping it as it swayed.

He took a deep breath, and then stepped forward, pushing through the storm. Pained screams filled the air as the blaze of suffering seemed to encompass him, become him. It swept into his mouth, filled his chest and burned. Then he pushed through and the burning stopped as if a switch had been flicked, and nearly collapsed again onto his knees in exhaustion. The mist still swirled around him, but it was silent inside this chamber, inside this sanctuary.

There was a person lying on the ground. Her back was turned to him. Dark hair was splayed around her head, and her skin was pale and grey. A puddle of slowly drying blood ( _so red_ ) surrounded her chest. Her right hand lay palm-open on the ground, and in her left hand she held a hilt made of chrome and black-colored durasteel.

 _No_ , he thought. _Not her. Never her._

He crouched by her body, fingers lightly, _shyly_ skimming over the curve of her shoulder to her waist, and then he finally gripped her side and rolled her over.

He wanted to scream.

Her eyes were still open, staring sightlessly into his, cracked lips parted as if in surprise. Her face was marred by smears of dust and blood, blood that came from an open cut on her forehead that still bled scarlet. Marred by the same horror that had befallen the ones that lay outside. Rubies trailed down the corner of her mouth, and as he watched, she seemed to exhale as the air left her lungs from the sudden movement.

He moved his gaze lower, sickened by what he saw. There was a smoking, charred hole on the side of her torso and he looked away, feeling bile rise in his throat as he tore his hand away from her side.

He wished she'd never met him. Maybe then she'd be safe, whole and perfect, alive, and _not like this_. But he had always been selfish, under the love he held for her. He'd always wanted what he couldn't have, wanted to hold her light and her warmth close to him, because he had been so dark, so afraid.

But he could no longer keep coming back for her. Because now her cheeks were cold and her lips were pale and her hair was dry and wispy and strange-feeling in his fingers. Because now she was dead and it was because of him, it was all his doing – all his fault, over and over again.

As he continued to look at her pale face, at those lifeless, glassy brown eyes that stared at him and said _nothing_ , a choked, tortured noise escaped him, and he bowed his head. For the first time in so long, he felt a sadness so deep and soul-shaking that it ached in his chest; for the first time in so long he felt so cracked by anguish that it felt as if the only thing holding him together was the Force.

Tears blurred his vision through the slits in his helmet and he cried, muffled noises filtering through the vocoder on his helmet. He collapsed on his knees beside her, hands moving to pull her against him. He pulled off his gloves, one bare, trembling hand reaching up to tenderly card through her soft brown hair.

There was a sound in the silence, now. A gentle hissing noise, and he looking at her, shock filling him as her chest slowly, slowly rose up and down.

He stared helplessly, paralyzed and frozen in place as she fell back to the ground, her eyes open and bright. To his surprise, the dried blood caked on her skin thickened, rose back up into the cut on her forehead, and the wound sealed. The streak of red by her mouth disappeared.

She jerked violently, her mouth opening in a silent scream of pain as the hole in her chest sizzled grotesquely and then the flesh began knitting back together, becoming complete and clean. Then her eyelids slid closed again and her body went limp.

He held his breath for several seconds and moved back in surprise as her clothing faded away and she was lifted into the air by an unseen force. He watched, transfixed, as the swirling mist now rushed to her, enclosed her, twisting and solidifying into wisps of silver lace and grey silk that moved and conformed to her body. The dress shifted, swishing quietly in the air as her bare feet touched the ground again.

He collapsed on his knees; felt his lightsaber fall from his grasp and onto the ground.

And there he sat, kneeling in front of her, his head raised, staring at her beauty, her grace. The word _love_ swelled inside him with fierce emotion, surged like heat and warmth and _forgiveness_ inside his heart.

Her eyes opened again (soft lovely doe-brown so _sweet_ ) and she smiled down at him. There was pain and sadness in the curve of her lips, and yet he had never seen anything so amazing and so perfect.

Her hands reached forward and he felt his breath shudder out of him as soft fingertips grazed his helmet and lifted the hood that covered his mask. She reached down, unlatched the mechanism holding his mask on. A pause. Her fingers tightened on the metal edge, and she pulled the helmet off. He exhaled, as waves of dark hair spilled out to frame his face.

Upon seeing him, a crystalline tear trailed down her cheek, making her blink, and her lips quivered.

He wanted to die.

Her fingers, soft and now shaky and yet _unbearably, horribly and painfully_ gentle, traced down the side of his face, before Korin cupped his jaw lightly in her hands.

Ben Solo's eyes fell closed.

And he woke with a start.

* * *

 **Reviews/follows/favs are extremely appreciated. I need some support guys.**


	9. Stretched paper-thin

Chapter Nine

* * *

 _Trouble on my left,_

 _Trouble on my right,_

 _I've been facing trouble almost all my life,_

 _My sweet love, won't you pull me through?_

 _Everywhere I look I catch a glimpse of you._

/

The two lone figures standing on the white plains were motionless as statues. The wind lifted the robes of the taller one, causing a chill to race up his spine.

"Kriff," Ben muttered under his breath.

He chafed his gloved hands together to create enough friction for heat. Korin was already ten minutes late than the latest she should have come back out, and he stared intently at the open mouth of the cave, shivering in the cold as his breath misted in front of him. The barest hint of blood-red sun was beginning to splay across the mountains.

"Patience, Ben." Luke reminded him quietly, his voice startlingly loud and low in the icy quiet.

Hunched over from the cold, the teen turned to look at the Jedi. "Master, what are you sensing? Is anything…did anything go wrong?"

A slight pause, and Ben listened to the eerie whistling of wind through the mountain peaks.

"She's afraid."

He raised an eyebrow. "What, in a normal way?"

"See for yourself."

He allowed his eyes to slide closed, focusing on the Force signatures in the darkness under his eyelids. His uncle's flared a bright blue, wispy tendrils floating off. Ben forced himself to reach further, expanding his detection. And then he saw her, a misty, pale light wavering far away from him. But there was another one beside her. A blanket of darkness, pulling and powerful and strong. He tore his gaze from the strange figure, instead focusing on Korin.

"Who's the other guy with her?" He spoke aloud, eyes still closed. Luke turned to him in confusion.

"What? I don't sense anyone else. Though when the visions are strong enough they tend to give off their own energies."

Ben wisely decided not to tell his uncle that there was nothing but darkness emanating off the fuzzy outline. Nor that he felt a strange, terrible yearning in his chest. He kept watching, and, with a sickening feeling in his stomach, saw Korin's form begin backing up while the ghost advanced. And then Korin suddenly dropped, falling down, down, down.

"Korin!"

He began sprinting, running off towards the direction an underground current was obviously pulling her towards. He nearly stopped when he skidded across clear ice, and swore again as he heard a sharp crack, a fissure appearing on the surface a few feet beside him.

"Ben!" Luke yelled, worry in his tone. With no time to lose, Ben kept running. "I'm fine!"

He traced her over onto a distant edge of the lake, where the ice had thickened after numerous layers of water had frozen over. The eerie green glow of his lightsaber illuminated the glassy surface, and he quickly knelt across a patch of clear ice, cutting a hole into it. Liquid water seeped out from the edges of the rough circle, and once it separated he pushed it down into the water and to the side. His heart pounded as he surveyed the dark, fathomless well of water. Then he took a deep breath and dove in, kicking hard to propel himself towards the bottom of the lake.

The water was freezing, so cold that it seemed to burn his skin. Ben could barely see in the pitch-black of his surroundings, and the light from his saber could only brighten a few meters ahead. He scanned the water around him quickly, feeling the cold already leaching into his bones. Then he saw her: resting on a ledge a few meters down was the huddled, still form of a body. Rather, he saw the faint glowing of the kyber first, cracks of light coming through the tightly closed fist laid across her stomach.

Darting forward, he reached down to grab at her shoulder, hand closing around the waterlogged fur of her jacket. He gave a sharp tug and she lifted a few inches off the ledge, her body swaying in a way that made a shiver of cold run down his spine; she looked lifeless, despite how he could still feel her warmth in his mind.

Struggling to focus as Korin began to float, he pulled her hand towards her, gingerly wriggling the crystal from her and putting it in his pocket for safekeeping. He raised his lightsaber as he began to drag their dead weight through the waters. Black was beginning to edge around his vision, and he coughed, releasing a silvery bubble of air.

Suddenly, when he felt as though his fingers clamped to Korin's shoulder would freeze and fall off, the back of his head bumped painfully against the layer of ice at the surface. He raised his right arm, pushing through the ice with the blade of his saber until he had cut away an opening.

His chest tightened; weak from the lack of air, he couldn't push the ice back up. Panic began to set in, and he trembled, staring at Korin's pale form. He wrapped numb fingers around her wrist, feeling the sleepy thrumming of her pulse.

 _I love you._

Then there was a rushing sound as the lid of their tomb lifted, air flowing cold onto his cheeks as they breached the surface, Ben gasping for air. His hands found the small of her back and he pushed her up higher, allowing her to slide onto solid surface. His hands scrabbled against the ice as he followed her, hoisting himself up and then collapsing flat on the ground as he took in a heavy breath of the cold air. Luke force-pushed the block of ice to the side, his white-cloaked form stark against the starry black sky.

Ben lurched over her, frantically cupping his face in his hands. Her lips were blue with cold, but as he leaned closer and pressed his ear to her chest, he could still hear the faintest beating.

He pressed a hand to her chest, closed his eyes and focused, feeling for the liquid trapped inside. A tense beat of silence, and then his hand curled into a fist and he pulled upward. At the same time, Korin's body jerked against the ice and water spewed from her mouth. Brown eyes flew open and she coughed loudly, choking and spitting out more water. She hunched over on her side, her hands supporting her against the ice, and retched, vomiting onto the ice. The sour stench caused her to throw up again and a soft whimper escaped her as Ben shakily reached forward to pull the hair up from her face.

"Ben…Ben…" Her hoarse voice called for him, and he wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her tighter than he dared, trying to warm her. Her icy fingers clenched and unclenched as she trembled.

"You're okay now. I've got you. You're okay."

Silhouettes now edged in pale pink sunlight, the three starkly-lined figures struggled back to the transport, and even from a distance anyone could tell they were anything but okay.

* * *

"The ship's on autopilot for now." Luke's voice came from the cabin as he began walking back towards them. Ben, arms crossed as he gripped at an insulating blanket, was leaning against a support beam, his face lined with exhaustion. Luke could sense the unease flowing off his nephew; unease that he knew would be later paired with guilt.

His voice cut through the soft beeping of the monitors. "How's Korin holding up?" Both turned to look at her, resting in a side-bed next to the wall.

"Her vitals are steady now. And I already called in to have a bacta tank prepared for her." Ben scanned the carefully-placed bacta strips on her sides, and leaned forward to adjust the heating pads covering her lower abdominals.

"Where's her crystal?"

He reached into his pocket, withdrawing the small clear shard. "I have it."

Luke nodded. Ben gently grasped Korin's wrist, and placed the Kyber crystal in her palm. The ship jolted a little and the Jedi spoke again.

"I'll keep flying. We should get there in another thirty minutes." He turned and walked back into the cockpit.

For the second time that day, Ben's fingers moved to press lightly against Korin's pulse point. He sat down on a crate next to her, closing his eyes and finally relaxing.

* * *

Through the tall, scalloped windows, the light shone in clearly to illuminate the bare walls, spilling across the ground carpeted with colored woven mats, setting alight the leaves and petals of the flowers decorating every open surface so that the smallest veins could be seen.

A breeze ran gaily through the courtyard outside, and the swaying trees made sounds of flowing water, the leaves lifting to flash their silvery sides. It had rained while they were gone, and the eves were still leaking a little, the gentle cadence of the dripping giving the room a hushed, clear feeling.

"Ben."

He felt a breath whoosh slowly from him, felt a slight draft slip into the room. His eyes slipped closed, and then he shook himself awake again.

"Ben. You need to rest."

He felt his body tense as Luke laid a hand, his flesh one, on his shoulder, and something calmed in him at the feeling of the warmth of another human being.

"It's not your fault, kid."

"How do you know?" he said, his voice all of a sudden as hard and heavy as stone. "I could have…I could have stopped her from going in. Maybe she wasn't ready. And I should have known she'd see him in there," he muttered, guilt and anger in his voice.

"Who is 'he'?" Luke questioned. Ben ignored him, his hands clenching and unclenching on the armrests.

"I won't leave her again."

Luke let out a sigh, and shifted away. He walked to the adjacent wall, moving jars of flowers off a chair and then pulling the chair up to face Ben. He sat down, clasping his hands in front of him, and Ben suddenly felt a sense of awe at how both authority and kindness seemed to emanate off the older Jedi in an easy, calm manner.

"Ben, I'm talking to you as your uncle, not as your Master." He began firmly. "You need to sleep. She'll be here no matter what. Nothing will hurt her, no harm will happen to her. You have my promise." There truly was something reassuring and solid in Luke's words, and Ben turned to look at her, body, mind and soul exhausted.

The pale blue light of the tank illuminated Korin's small, fragile form from behind. Hooked to wires upon wires, she floated listlessly in the liquid, her hair creating an ethereal circle radiating around her head. The dark, haunting circles around her eyes were prominent against the paleness of her skin. To prevent anything close to choking, her necklace was taken off, placed on a side table. The star gleamed a dull grey-blue from the light.

Sides wrapped in bacta strips and gauze to heal her broken ribs, she looked like a cocooned butterfly. A young, beautiful creature, and he wanted to see her wake up, see her spread her wings once more. As they watched, there was a minute blip on the screen showing brain activity, and her finger twitched.

"I think I'm going to stay." He heard himself say, his mind far away. "Just a little longer."

Luke relented, nodding. He squeezed Ben's hand before he walked away, back down the hall.

* * *

Her muscles were weak in the first few days; her nightmares continuous. Ben stayed by her side almost constantly, helping her up from beds or chairs and letting her lean against him as she walked. Eventually the attention became tiresome and she found herself snapping at him irritably as the days wore on. He'd leave her alone after that, with her promise that she'd stay still and not injure herself further.

Night after night she'd wake up to the pale light of the moon stretching across her ceiling, her breath short and her skin cold. Before, the visions she'd had were tangible and vivid, but now they were hazy and wild; the figures unrecognizable; and fast paced. They left her with a sense of trepidation and worry for each coming day.

Almost a month after Ilum, Luke taught her the basics of lightsaber construction. The sun rose bright in that morning that Korin decided to create her saber. As per her request, Ben did not visit her when she woke.

Sitting cross-legged in the center of her room, strips of metal, various powercells, coils, and other materials spread around her, Korin held the kyber crystal in her hand. She closed her eyes, and felt it heat up slightly against her skin before a cylindrical section of durasteel floated upwards, the kyber crystal squeezing out of her fingers to fit into the small cradle in its top. For the next few hours, Korin sat on the hard stone floor until her joints ached, focusing on pulling together the materials.

The sun reached its equinox, shining directly into the room and illuminating her in a patch of golden light as it continued west. The saber, now whole, fell into her waiting hands, and her eyes opened at the touch of warm metal. A large smile appeared on her face, her eyes crinkling a little, as she twisted and turned the lightsaber hilt in her grasp to observe her handiwork.

Her fingertips traced the opening of the exposed crystal chamber when a flash of bright light filled the room. As it faded away, Korin raised her head, an unsettled feeling coming over her. The room had darkened considerably, fat, pointed shadows converging at every corner.

A roll of thunder sounded in the distance, echoing into her bones. Rain began pounding down on the roof above her, the sound louder than the warm summer breeze drifting across the sun-lit fields. It was cold, and then warm and then too cold, so, so cold. Lightning fell jagged in the sky; thunder rumbled loudly in her ears and the light flickered, flashing bright and fading in the same instant. The door slammed shut, startling her enough that she broke meditation, her trembling hands pressing against the rough-woven rug. Cool air seemed to pool like liquid around her bare ankles, seep underneath the linen of her clothing.

A crack of lighting flashed across her line of sight, and suddenly she got the feeling that she wasn't quite alone in the room. Korin opened her mouth to yell for Ben and the rain swept down her face, across her body, into her mouth but it wasn't rain – it was blood and it tasted bitter and coppery on her tongue. A sob shook from her throat and she huddled up in the center of the soaked mat, knees to chest and chin on her knees, her fingers numb. Her lightsaber lay forgotten next to her.

She'd never felt such an absence of strength, she'd never felt so drained. She'd never felt so alone and afraid. Not even at the caves. Something was different about her since she'd returned from Ilum.

She didn't know how long she sat, waiting, until something in her finally snapped. The next thing she knew, she was out of the room, her back to the wall. Everything was awash with golden light, the warmth of the sun soaking into her chilled skin. Her hands twitched restlessly, and she brought one hand to her other arm, pinching half-moons into her skin.

"Korin?" Startled, she jerked away so fast that she bumped up against a side table. Her master was standing a few feet away from her, his eyes narrowed with confusion. It took her a moment to recognize him.

"Luke." Not one of his usual titles, the name sounded hard and fearful coming from her. The man observed Korin – the tense posture, the way her face flashed with something akin to nausea when she glanced back at the room.

Luke gestured to the open hallway out to the courtyard. "Walk with me."

She shook her head quickly, the light nearly blinding her for an instant. It was too bright – too loud, and she wanted it to be quiet, wanted it to be still so she could think. "Not out there. I need to be…I need to be inside."

"Korin. Are you alright, kid?" He reached to grasp her shoulder and his hand tensed when he felt her skin through her tunic. "You're cold."

"Luke, I need to talk to you. Please."

He nodded. "Follow me."

The Jedi led her through the building into a medium-sized room. Korin closed the door behind them, though her voice was still quiet when she spoke, as though afraid that someone would hear.

"I can't do…this, any more. I can't become a Jedi."

"But - kid," her master said, amusement and exasperation in his tone. "Many padawan go through this kind of phase – though I admit you're a little old-"

"Master, I can't." The frightened look in her eyes silenced him. "You don't understand. I see…things that aren't there. I hear things at night. Always have. And I thought that it would get better after Ilum. I really hoped it would. But it's only worse." As she spoke, a tremor suddenly ran through her and her eyes darted up at the ceiling, staring at the shadowed peak in the roof.

"This…whatever this is, the Force, or something…I can't stay here anymore." Korin's eyes drifted towards the carpet beneath her.

"And Ben. I just-I just want him to…I know that he's powerful. Far more than any of us here at the academy. I can't hold him back like this. It's true, the story that you'd told him about his grandfather. He told me. He said that he could be stronger than Anakin, and that…" Her eyes were sad. "That we could be together in the end."

"Korin, listen to me. You have a future here."

"But-but I've been...Having dreams. And I'm afraid – I'm so kriffing afraid." She'd been holding those feelings in for so long, but now, they sounded strange out loud, jumbled and mixed-up.

"Of what?"

"I don't know what to say. Something is happening to us all and I'm not ready for when we find out."

A heavy sigh escaped Luke as he had his worries confirmed. There had been a feeling of this in his heart for quite some time. It was one of the reasons he'd decided to take on the heavy mantle of starting a new Jedi order. They needed to be prepared for the dark before dawn, for the time when the Republic finally chooses to stand against the Empire and its many new faces. And now they were stretched paper-thin, and he couldn't tell whether Korin's leaving would save Ben or destroy him.

"Do you see now, sir?"

* * *

"How can you just let her leave?" Ben's shout was loud in the empty sitting chamber, his fists clenched at his sides as he paced. In contrast to his temperamental nephew, Luke stood still, his clear blue eyes focused on the younger man.

"Ben. Do not question your master on this. It is the only way to give her peace."

"You talk of peace…you preach, about the new Jedi order and yet you fail to see the millions that are dying in the galaxy every day! This world needs order-"

"Padawan!"

"I love her, Master! She's hurting; she's afraid and I need to take care of her. No matter if she thinks she's not enough." His voice took on a pleading edge. "Please. I can help her."

"She and I have already discussed this. For both your sake and for hers." Luke took a step forward, and then another and another until he was standing just feet from Ben. He reached an arm out and the young man flinched from him. "Remember what I said to you on Ilum. You are needed for something greater than this."

His gaze was tumultuous but empty; fierce but somehow quiet. "You've lost both of us today."

* * *

In the days leading up to her departure, the weather took a downturn; the only light graying and turning cold indoors. Ben stayed silent towards Luke since their argument that night, either glaring at him each time their paths crossed or storming by without a word.

Today had been the third time Ben destroyed a training droid, but Luke didn't have the heart to reprimand him or demand that he fix the tangled messes of metal and wire, not when Ben comforted Korin each night, trying to get her to breathe evenly and sleep after the visions she'd have.

Luke doesn't really try to think all that much about the day Korin left. She had cried all night before, and even though he couldn't hear her sobs he could feel the anguish – the sadness so raw and wounded in his nephew and Korin.

It seemed to be one of those strange cold mornings; a winter sun shining through a thin veil of clouds. Each movement they made seemed laid sharp and starkly lit by the pale sunlight.

It was days like these – where they _were_ stretched paper-thin – that Luke could see their link most strongly. It sang with a strange humming beat when they were silent, and echoed their words of sadness and regret when they spoke.

When the time came he stood at the entrance of the courtyard, solemnly watching as Korin and Ben exchanged their goodbyes. Luke came forward as the shuttle lifted off. And as the shuttle rose higher and higher into the sky, Ben crumpled to his knees, bowing his head forward.

"She's…gone." His voice broke on the last word.

After a moment, Luke's eyes flitted down. "Not forever, Ben," he reminded gently. He had a feeling they'd see each other again, maybe not as who they once were. But that day would come.

Soundlessly, Ben stood, his face strangely smooth and expressionless. His eyes, however, were full and pained and angry.

"She was the one good thing I had. And now she's gone." He blinked, staring at the stone-hemmed edge of the yard. His brow tightened, and, once again, he stormed away back into the buildings.

* * *

He'd been gone a week on a mission in the Outer Rim – rumors of a small village of primitive Force-sensitives. It had turned out to be false; only a small host of beings under the influence of heavy toxins from a plant. A few days into his investigation a distress call was sent to his ship computer from his students at the Academy.

The audio clip was barely more than half a minute long but it was enough for him to hear the sounds of rampage and murder. Immediately Luke sprinted towards the shuttle, the ramp lifting behind him as he found the controls. His ship exited the atmosphere and entered lightspeed, headed towards the Academy.

When he arrived it was already too late. The Temple was dead – destroyed, all the living beacons of the Force gone. The wind ripped at his robes as he exited his ship, and as a streak of lightning lit the open courtyard for a moment, he saw the shapeless lumps of bodies littered across the ground. His jaw clenched to keep himself from crying out, yet instead of anger he felt a deep, all-encompassing anguish. He'd failed them, failed his young padawans who had so much to live for, so much to protect. Failed Ben and Korin.

He couldn't bear to look at their faces as he brought their bodies indoors. R2-D2 was silent; the only sound apart from the whirring of his machinery and Luke's footsteps was the sound of the downpour.

In the dark of the temple he lit a single torch, the glow lighting the haggard lines of his face and casting a hellish light on the unseeing eyes of the children.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, and then his vision blurred and tears streaked down his skin. "I'm…so sorry."

Dry wood had been unimaginably hard to find but he had done it somehow in the dark of night. He had laid their bodies all out, closed their eyes. He had dropped the torch onto the pyre.

The Jedi code taught, above all else, that there would be no attachments, no passion be it love or hate. But they had been his students – his children. What had he done? And now Ben was gone, he'd become someone else entirely, and Korin…

Korin couldn't know what had happened. If she did find out, nothing would stop her from going to find him, and then that would lead to the destruction of both of them. Korin was now the last remaining Jedi – though not fully trained, she was the only hope for the New Republic against the whispers of the rising First Order.

He was the one responsible for this terrible massacre. Guilt seemed to consume him just as the roaring fire before his eyes burned away at the remaining corpses. All he knew was that he had to get away, that he had to let himself find _peace_ again and repent for what he had done wrong.

"R2. Record a message for me and send it to my sister."

* * *

The morning was cold and so still, the rough dirt and sand beneath her bare knees warm, barely any breeze drifting across the open lake. After the rain, pollen in the air had turned to dull yellow clay in the cracks on the courtyard tiling, filling dippets in rough stone and scattering on the sand.

The blades of grass on the terrain swayed lazily, flashing with pale purple flowers that smelled of honey. She fingered the velvety rims of lacy vine flowers that decorated the small raft, breathed in the scent of rainwater and the smell of the tides. The petals scattered the planks on the raft, the vines that she'd collected wrought through the woven reeds on the wood, and for a brief moment Korin realized that Ben never would have wanted something this delicate and pristine.

She felt him, a warm hollow beside her heart where he laid, the pulsing, thrumming beat in her veins, a comforting touch on her breast and the whisper of his breath against her shoulder.

 _"I'll always be here, Korin."_

She bowed her head, a ghost of a smile on her lips as her hands gripped onto the raft and then gently pushed it away, out to open sea. The raft wobbled slightly on the coming waves but smoothly slipped past them, floating further and further away from where she knelt on the bank. The sun lay low on the horizon, steadily rising as the shrine became distant.

"I know."

In the entrance outside her new home, the remaining bloodrose petals drifted slowly off the bushes to rest on the ground.

 _I said it was love, and I did it for love –_

 _Did it for you._

 _Got so much to lose,_

 _Got so much to prove,_

God; don't let me lose my mind.

[Cage the Elephant, Trouble]

* * *

 **Please review and comment. I really need it.**


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